Time and Time Again
by GracelessLiar
Summary: They finally had their Happy Ending. But then something happened. The world was reset, but no one knows why, not even the person most likely to know. Frisk doesn't even remember anything that happened in past timelines. With the help of an overly aggressive flower, and a lazy skeleton, Frisk is going to try to survive, and in the end, find out what being DETERMINED really means.
1. Fallen Down

It wasn't entirely by accident, but I fell.

The climb up the mountain had been long and grueling. The fall was short and easy. It should have been enough to kill me, or at least hurt me, but when I woke up on the soft ground below I didn't even ache.

I had been told Mount Ebott was a dangerous place. People went missing there, not often, but it had happened enough there were stories. I'm not sure if I had climbed the mountain because I believed the stories, or because I didn't believe them. Either way, I hadn't expected to trip on an out of place vine and into a cave at the summit of the mountain.

I had landed on something soft. A patch of small, golden flowers growing in what little sunlight shown through the opening of the cave high above had broken my fall. I didn't recognize the flowers, I had never seen them before, but I knew what they were called. Buttercups.

The cavern around me was spacious, far larger than I thought it should have been. Did anyone else know there was such a large cave down here? The walls were steep. I wasn't going to be climbing back up any time soon.

Crumbling pillars stood throughout the cavern, and some had toppled over. An image was carved onto the pillars, three triangles in a row, the middle one inverted, and above them, a small circle with outstretched wings. The image was repeated on all the pillars like a prayer.

I stood. If I couldn't get out the way I entered, I would have to search for another way home. The cavern had one other exit, and it was flanked on both sides by more pillars. I headed for the exit, but before I reached it a voice called out from behind me.

"Howdy," the cheerful voice said.

I turned around, holding back a cry of surprise. A flower, much larger than the others, had appeared in the middle of the flower patch. It stood in the same spot I had landed on, but I didn't recall seeing it until just now.

"I'm Flowey, Flowey the Flower!" the flower said. "I'm your new Best Friend."

It was clearly the flower speaking. A mouth and a pair of eyes sat in the middle of the flower, surrounded by golden petals. A beaming smile, just as cheerful as the buttercup it adorned, shone at me beneath two eyes filled with joy and wonder.

What a happy flower.

The flower looked up at the hole in the cavern's ceiling, and then back at me.

"Wow, that was quite a fall," he said. "You're lucky you weren't hurt."

I nodded, unsure of how to respond to the talking flower.

"If you came from up there, that must mean you're new to the Underground, right?" Flowey asked.

It was subtle, but I thought I saw the flower straighten, as if trying to make himself look bigger.

"The Underground?" I asked.

"That's right," Flowey replied, "Oh, but it might be tricky for a human here. Why don't I tell you how things work down here?"

Now the flower was giving me advice? Had I hit my head during the fall and not realized it? Was I going to wake up three days from now in the hospital and be told this was nothing but a dream?

"-pretty good," the flower was still talking.

Flowey swayed back and forth as he spoke, his smile never faltering. Maybe he was just happy to have someone to talk to? It wasn't like he could go far as a flower, right?

"Anyway, the key to surviving around here is Love!" Flowey declared with a flourish of his leaves.

"Love?" I asked.

"Sure thing, friend," Flowey said. "Love makes you stronger, if you don't have enough love, a little thing like you might just get eaten."

"Eaten?" I asked. "What does that mean? There's something here than can eat me?"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Flowey said. "I'll take care of you, I'll give you enough Love so you don't have to worry about anything else."

I shifted my weight and glanced behind me at the cavern's exit. What had I fallen into?

"Hey, pay attention or you'll miss them," Flowey snapped.

I looked back at Flowey, a little surprised at the change in his tone, but he was smiling as bright as ever.

"These are friendliness pellets," Flowey said as he waved a leaf. Brilliant golden petals appeared in the air around Flowey. He continued to explain in a sing-song voice, "You'll need to collect these to increase your love. Make sure not to miss them."

The petals floated towards me as if they were drifting on the wind. It was simple enough to reach out and grab one with my hand.

As I wrapped my fingers around the petal, I felt a shock of pain resonate through my entire body as if I had been struck by lightning. The pain shook my very soul, and I could almost feel it cracking. I fell to my knees, holding my arm to my chest. I could hardly move my fingers, the pain was lingering in my arm, making it numb and impossible to move.

"Hahahahahah, you really are an idiot," Flowey sneered.

The smile on his face had transformed into a gaping maw that split his golden face in half, and his innocent eyes were cold and cruel.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"In this world, it's kill or be killed," Flowey said. "You're just on the wrong side kid."

I staggered to my feet and began to back away from Flowey. His smile sent shivers down my back, but I was still too numb to turn and flee.

"Now, to finish you off," Flowey said.

Golden petals, too numerous to count filled the air around Flowey. They began to drift towards me. They were slow, but there were too many to dodge. I watched the oncoming golden death and bit my lip. I closed my eyes and hunched my shoulders, all the while Flowey's laughter echoed in my ears.

"That is enough," a prideful voice called out.

Flowey's laughter stopped, and I could smell something burning. I peeked at the scene before me. The flower petals were burning, and a tall, white, and vaguely goat-like figure was standing at my side.

Flowey sneered at the intruder.

"What a lucky brat you are," he said to me, and then burrowed into the ground, disappearing as if he had never been there.

"Oh, my child, are you all right?" my rescuer asked, her voice was soft and kind, but Flowey had been the same way.

She knelt down before me. Her face was covered in pristine, white fur, and she had long floppy ears. A pair of small, silver horns emerged from the fur at the top of her head. Her eyes were dark, and though she was smiling at me, I could see a trace of sadness within those eyes.

"What a terrible thing to do to someone so small," she said. "My name is Toriel, little one."

Toriel stood back up. She was wearing a set of purple robes, and the same symbol I had seen on the pillars was emblazoned on the front of them.

"Did you come from above?" Toriel asked, and when I nodded she continued. "Yes, it happens from time to time. Humans come here from the world above. Though it may seem to be too much to accept at the moment, I would like to welcome you to the Underground, my child."


	2. Unnecessary Tension

-Updates will be random because keeping a schedule would drive me crazy-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Toriel's hand was soft and warm. It was covered with the same white fur that covered the rest of her, but I didn't think her fur was the only reason I felt such warmth. Certainly, I had never felt warmth like this before. Though I had wanted to mistrust her after the incident with the flower, I simply couldn't hate someone with such kind hands.

Toriel explained much as we walked. This "Underground" was the world of monsters. Monsters who had once lived in the world above, but now lived here. The monsters in the ruins were kind, she explained.

"If you ever find yourself in a bad situation, just wait and I will come to help you, but do not hurt anyone," she told me.

We were in an area of the Underground she called the Ruins. And it was easy to see why they were called that. The Cavern had led into a labyrinthine underground structure built of shimmering purple and gray stone.

Leaves fallen from a tree lay scattered on the ground, and vines adorned the walls. There were switches on the walls at various locations, and Toriel bid me to pay attention. The puzzles in the ruins were dangerous she said.

After walking some time together, Toriel let go of my hand.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I have urgent business I must attend to. Would you be a good child and wait here?"

"What if Flowey comes back?" I asked.

I wasn't feeling much pain anymore, but the thought of running into the flower again was too much to bear.

Toriel frowned for a moment, and then her expression brightened.

"Here," she said.

She handed me a cellphone. I turned it on, listening to the soft beep it made. There was only one number in the phone's memory.

"You can use this to call me if you need help," Toriel said. "But I do not think you should worry overmuch, that flower will not return to harm you."

I clutched the phone to my chest and nodded. Toriel was probably just annoyed at having to drag me along. I hadn't even been able to solve that last puzzle by myself. Toriel had held my hand the whole way through. She was probably just trying to leave me behind.

"I will be back," Toriel said, resting a warm hand on my hand. "Please be good, my child."

I nodded and looked down at my feet. Toriel gave a small sigh. I felt her hand leave my head and then heard her footsteps fading away as she left me behind. By the time I looked up, Toriel was long gone.

My shoulders slumped and my heart felt heavy. Toriel was nice to be around, comfortable and warm. It wasn't a feeling I was used to.

The desire to follow her overcame me and I took a small step forward. She had told me to wait here, but I wanted to go with her, and more than that, I could see more of the ruins beyond the room I was in. The draw to explore them was more than I could stand.

I smiled and shrugged. Toriel might scold me, but that would be worth the surprise when she saw I had followed her. I discarded my obedience, and advanced into the ruins.

The golden light floating above the fallen leaves was impossible to miss. It shone against the red; a sparkling gold that drew my eye. I crossed the leaves, the crinkling sounds the made filled me with…something. I felt my soul brighten, and the fear and pain I had been suffering under since Flowey's attack disappeared as I placed my hand on the light.

I had SAVED.

I had-what? I put a hand to my head as a flash of pain cut through my temples. What had just happened? I withdrew my hand from the light and stepped back.

Trying not to grimace, I turned away to face the ruins. Toriel was long gone, but there was only one path forward to follow. She had warned me about the traps and puzzles, hopefully I wouldn't stumble across any that were too difficult.

As I made my way through the ruins, creeping across crumbling floors and flipping switches along the way, I encountered monsters.

They were different from Toriel. As different from her as she was from me. They were frightening at first, but after talking with the monsters, I realized they actually weren't any different from me. The little frogs didn't really understand me, but they seemed to enjoy my feeble attempts at flirting. It was almost too much really, and I found it hard to keep from laughing.

I continued into the ruins, meeting more monsters until I found my path blocked by a white blob on a pile of leaves. The blob was sleeping. Well it was pretending to sleep at least. I could hear it mutter to itself every once in a while, wondering if I had left.

I turned around and looked behind me. This really was the only path, and I wanted to continue; the white blob would have to move.

I poked the blob, politely as possible of course.

"Excuse me," I said. "I need to go through here."

The blob sighed, shook itself and then stood. Floated actually. It rose into the air, floating about a foot of the ground. It was ghost, with big dark eyes and a lonely frown on his face. He stared at me, and then sighed again.

" _Yes?"_ he asked in an unearthly voice.

"Would you mind moving?" I asked.

Another sigh, followed by some unintelligible words and then a barrage of tears that soaked the pile of leaves it had been sleeping on.

"Oh," I said as the ghost continued to sob uncontrollably. I tried to find some way to make his smile. "What's your name?"

" _Napstablook,"_ he said.

"Nice to meet you," I said. "Why are you lying here?"

" _It's quiet here, and no one bothers me,"_ Napstablook replied.

His tears stopped, but what replaced them was an awkward silence.

"Hey, um…How do ghosts learn music?" I asked.

A bad joke to break the silence, but Napstablook just stared at me.

" _Really not feelin' up to it right now. Sorry,"_ he said.

"By reading the sheet music," I finished.

It probably wasn't funny. In fact, it was probably not very nice to tell ghost jokes to a ghost.

Naptasblook smiled. He then looked to the side, away from me, before sighing and looking back again.

" _Let me try…,"_ he said.

He began to cry again, but this time the tears flowed upwards, defying gravity. He was a ghost, so, maybe that kind of thing was normal? I couldn't claim to be an expert of any kind on ghosts, especially not ghost jokes.

The tears formed into a top hat made of the same kind of substance as his body. The hat perched atop his head, a fine addition that made him look dignified.

" _I like to call this- "_

"Dapperblook!" I interrupted.

I smiled as I stared at the hat.

Napstablook looked a little frustrated, but seemed pleased I was excited by his trick.

" _How did you know?"_ he asked.

"Lucky guess," I replied. "Doesn't it just fit?"

Napstablook nodded. He floated in the air, moving side to side and hummed a small song.

" _I like to come here because no one bothers me here,"_ he said, " _but today I met someone pretty nice. I'll let you pass now."_

Napstablook faded away, hat and all, and soon I was staring at empty air. It was a little lonely. Why couldn't he have stayed around a little longer? I sighed, and continued on my way. At least I knew Toriel had to be somewhere up ahead. I wasn't alone here.


	3. Home

-Another day, another update-

-Things should start getting more interesting from here on out. At least I think so. I don't know...gonna go sit in the corner now-

-Enjoy-

* * *

The toy knife was lying on the ground. I stared at it for a moment, wondering why something like that was here. I had wandered into a dead end in the ruins, and lying on the purple stones was a small knife. The edge wasn't sharp, and it wouldn't be able to cut paper, let alone a person or monster, but the sight of the knife sent a cold chill down my back.

I bent down to pick up the knife, but before my fingers touched the handle, I stopped. What did I need a knife, fake or otherwise, for? I stepped away from the knife. I didn't need it, and I didn't want it. My stomach churned even thinking about picking it up.

I returned the way I came.

* * *

A dying tree lay on the path before me. Its trunk was black, and it's branches bare. A pile of autumn leaves, the same leaves I had seen throughout the ruins, lay on the ground around it. Were all those leaves from this one tree? If so, how had they gotten spread through the ruins?

The cellphone Toriel had given me began to ring.

"Hello," she said as I answered it. "I have finished my errand. I will- "

I could hear her voice from two directions. I looked up and saw her standing next to the tree. She was holding the phone up to one of her floppy ears, and as her eyes met mine, she broke into a bemused smile.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to come so far," she said. "What a brave child you are."

Toriel hung up, and beamed at me.

"Come along then," she said. "I have a surprise for you."

Toriel turned and led the way past the tree. I followed behind her, and she soon led me to a small house in the middle of the ruins. As Toriel entered the house, I stopped to admire the house. It had the appearance of a cottage, and even from outside, I could feel a warmth similar to Toriel's. I couldn't stop a smile from spreading on my face as I stared at the house.

A glimmer of light near the door way caught my eye. I placed my hand over the light, and as before, I could feel something filling my body and lifting my soul. Unlike before though, my heart still felt taut, like a rope being pulled too tight. It was a heavy feeling.

I SAVED.

What exactly was I saving?

I stepped away from the light and entered the house. Inside, I could smell something cooking; Butterscotch and cinnamon filled the house. Toriel stood just beyond the doorway, her hands clasped before her, and a kind smile on her face.

"Welcome to your new Home, my child," she said. "I'm so pleased you've come."

There was a staircase behind Toriel. The stairs led down, into a basement perhaps? A single hallway stretched in both directions off of the entryway, and Toriel gestured for me to follow her to the right. She led me down the hallway and stopped at the first room.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, I had a bit of a mess to clean up, but this is your room now," she said.

My room? Why did I need a room of my own? Toriel didn't think I was going to stay here, did she?

Toriel opened the door and I entered behind her. She stood in the middle of the room, looking very proud, and I smiled back at her. I tried not to look as uneasy as I felt.

The room was cozy, as I expected the rest of the house was as well. A bed, a dresser, a box of toys, and some artwork on the walls. It felt comfortable, and alarming at the same time.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Toriel suggested. "You look tired. Crossing those ruins alone must have been very difficult."

I was tired, now that I thought about it. It had been a long day, starting from well before I fell here. Maybe Toriel was right, I should get some sleep, and then tomorrow I could think about what to do.

Toriel tucked me into bed, and as I was nodding off, she switched off the lamps and turned on a music box. A gentle melody played, lulling me into a deep sleep.

* * *

 _It's time_ _to wake up!_ _Don't let them keep us_ _ing you_ _!_ _Frisk you have to_ _save-_

A voice whispering in my ear woke me. The room was dark, and the music box had long stopped its playing. I looked around the darkened room as I sat up. It was empty. There was no one here with me. Had that been just a dream? I rubbed my ears; that voice had seemed so real.

I slid off the bed and yawned as I stretched. Toriel's advice had been good. Sleep had been just the thing.

I opened the door to the hallway. The lights were on, and I thought I could hear Toriel's voice coming from down the hallway. She was humming the same song the music box had been playing, and her soft voice drifted through the house.

Curiosity took hold, and I decided before I went to see Toriel, I wanted to look at the house some more. I explored the rest of the hallway I was in, but there wasn't very much to find. Another bedroom, Toriel's I assumed, and a mirror with my reflection were the only things of interest. Otherwise, there was one room that was locked with a small sign on the door barring entry, and several empty flower vases that seemed like they hadn't seen in use in a long time.

I followed the sound of Toriel's humming. The smell of cinnamon and butterscotch had gotten stronger, and my mouth watered at the thought of some fresh pie.

Hmm? Toriel hadn't said she was making pie, had she?

Passing the stairwell, I entered what looked like a sitting room. An armchair, well worn, sat near an unlit fireplace, and on the other side of the room was a small dining table. A flower vase sat on the table, but like the ones in the hallway, it was empty.

Toriel was in the kitchen, I could hear her cooking something, but just before I could call out to her, I heard a ringing sound.

Toriel's humming stopped and she answered her phone. She switched it to speaker and set it on the counter as she continued to mix something in a bowl. I hid behind the wall, unsure if I should interrupt, but also content just to sit still and smell the pie in the oven.

"Is something the matter?" Toriel asked. "It's unusual for you to call."

"I simply wanted to check in," a man's voice, deep and reassuring, replied. "The resets are becoming less frequent, did something happen?"

"Frisk is becoming more accustomed to the ruins," Toriel replied.

My breath caught in my chest. How did Toriel know my name? Had I told her? I thought back to the conversations I had had with her, but my memories were blurry and unfocused, as if they had happened long ago. Still, I didn't think I had ever given my name.

"In that case, it may be time to move on," the man said.

"Won't that make everything more difficult?" Toriel asked. "There's no need- "

"Torie," the man replied, "Resets need to be maintained at a certain rate. Otherwise what would be the point of this all?"

"Yes," Toriel said. "I understand that, but, beyond the ruins, there are so many extra factors."

"Most of those factors are under my control," the man said.

"What about the wildcard?" Toriel asked.

Her tone was heavy. What was the wildcard, and why did it bother her? For that matter, what was anything? I couldn't understand anything they said, but, I listened. This had something to do with me, and I wasn't going to go back to bed and pretend I hadn't heard anything.

"I've taken measures to deal with him as well," the man replied. "I know you're fond of the joker, for some reason," frustration colored the voice, "As long as I control the joker's brother, he shouldn't get involved."

"I think it would be best if you didn't underestimate him," Toriel said, her voice stern and scolding.

"Torie," the man said. "Please do not worry so much. Everything will be alright in the end."

There was a brief pause, and then Toriel sighed.

"I saw him again," Toriel said. "He wasn't happy. He never is."

Silence followed her words. I moved away from the wall. The conversation seemed like it was drawing to a close, and I had a feeling I didn't want to let Toriel know I had heard something like this. Would she be angry if she caught me? I couldn't actually imagine Toriel angry, but it wasn't something I wanted to risk finding out.

"It's our job to change that," the man said just before I left the sitting room. "For both of them."


	4. Heartache

-I don't know...I just don't know...-

-Enjoy-

* * *

I told Toriel I wanted to leave. I wanted to return to my old world. It wasn't entirely a lie.

She was sitting in the worn armchair, reading a book on snails. She looked up at me over the edge of the book. An expression I had never seen her wear before shone in her eyes. I had seen her worried, and kind, and I had seen her sad, but this was the first time I had ever seen hunger in her eyes.

Toriel snapped the book shut.

"My child," she said as the hunger faded, "Why? It is safe here, do you not like your home?"

I looked around. This place was nice. It was comfortable and warm, and in some ways, that was really all I wanted.

But I didn't think that was what Toriel wanted. She spoke her words as if she was expected to say them, and as if she already knew what my answer would be. I stared at her, wondering what kind of answer she wanted, but in the end, the only thing I wanted to say was the truth.

"This isn't my home," I said.

A smile, fleeting and small, dashed across her face. Toriel sighed and stood, placing her book on the seat of the chair.

"Follow me," she said.

Toriel led me into the basement. I hadn't tried going down there yet. Every time I had stood at the top of the stairs, something stirred in my heart had made me stop. Even now, as I followed her into the darkness below, I could feel my heart pounding, and panic rising in my chest.

I wasn't afraid of the darkness. So what was it that was so terrifying?

I followed Toriel down a long hallway. There was nothing in the basement, only a few candles to keep the darkness at bay. Eventually, Toriel came to an abrupt stop. I could see a large door behind her. The same symbol she wore on her chest was carved onto the surface of the door. She placed a hand on the door.

"Child," she said. "Beyond this door lies the rest of the Underground. It is a perilous place, filled with dangers. You can trust no one, and no one will trust you. In that world, it's kill or be killed. All of the humans who came before you have had to face this choice, and they all chose to be killed. I don't want to see you do the same."

Toriel turned to face me. Her expression was grim, her shoulders hunched, and I shivered. I could feel my insides twisting and I took a step back. I didn't want to hear her next words. I didn't want to-

"If you want to pass through this door, you'll need to prove to me you are strong enough to survive," Toriel said.

Toriel raised her hand towards me and called forth a ball of flames. The fire flew from her hand, straight towards me. I barely dodged the fire, running away from it with all my might.

"I don't want to fight you," I cried.

Toriel sent another fireball tumbling my way. Her demeanor was cold, and she watched me closely.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked as the fireball narrowly missed. "I just want to go back."

"Fight, my child," Toriel said. "Nothing will end if you only stand there."

Toriel launched more fire in my direction, an onslaught of sparks, small, but painful when they struck me. They were more difficult to dodge, but I avoided all but a few of the sparks.

I panted as the attack came to an end.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," I said.

Toriel frowned.

"Why is it always like this?" she muttered.

She sent the sparks my way once again. I continued to dodge, but I was getting so tired, and every time I got hit by one spark, the pain made it harder to dodge the rest.

"Please Toriel," I asked. "Please just let me pass."

Toriel raised her hand once again, the white fur was engulfed in fire. I stared back at her, could I dodge again? Tears filled my eyes, but I held my ground. If I backed down here, nothing would change, and I knew something needed to change. I couldn't keep doing this.

Doing…this? Why did I feel like I had repeated this conversation before?

Toriel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The fire around her hand died down, and she lowered her arm.

"I suppose I don't have the strength to change your mind," she said.

She looked away, her mouth forming into a tight frown. She said nothing more, but she also made no attempt to attack.

"Let me go," I said.

Toriel closed her eyes and then nodded. She stepped away from the door, and I took her place in front of the door. Toriel walked passed me, back down the hallway towards the house. She stopped once she was a few feet behind me. I turned to look at her, but Toriel never turned to look back at me.

"If you go through that door, don't expect to be able to come back," she said. "The Underground isn't as kind as I am. Trying to give mercy to a monster stronger than you will only get you killed."

Toriel walked away, and soon I was alone in the darkness of the basement. I pushed the door open, and stepped through. I wouldn't regret this decision right? I didn't think I would, but somewhere inside myself, I trembled. The door closed behind me, and my decision became final.

Beyond the doorway, there was a small patch of grass. A lone beam of light shone on the grass, and in the middle of the sunlight, a flower I recognized was watching me.

"Flowey?" I asked, taking a step back.

The broad smile was gone, and so was the cruel grin. Instead, Flowey watched me with a little frown and hooded eyes.

"You really are an idiot," he said.

His stem hunched over, and the golden petals around his face drooped. He looked up at me, as if expecting me to stay something, but I was too stunned to speak.

Flowey grimaced, and then shook himself. His expression changed to a small smile, and without another word, he burrowed underground and left.

I stared at the spot where Flowey had been, too afraid for a long time to pass through that patch of grass, but the door on the far side of the grass waited. There was no going back now. I could only press on.


	5. sans

-I'd probably be upset too-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Outside the ruins, I found a vast, snowy forest. The trees were tall and thin, extending high into the air. Even higher above the trees, I could see the stone ceiling of a cave in place of the open sky. So this place really was the Underground. It had been hard to really understand while I was in the ruins, but now that I was in an open space, I began to realize how different this place was from the world I knew.

Wispy snow fell from somewhere. There weren't clouds, but despite that, the falling snow was endless. It wasn't cold either, and when a flake landed on my face, it was only soft.

A well-worn path led away from the ruins. From the way Toriel had spoken, I had thought people seldom left the ruins, but then why would there be such a nice path here? A glimmer of light flashing in a nearby bush caught my attention, and I dug through the sharp leaves.

A camera was mounted inside the bush, the lens pointed toward the path. I waved at the camera, wondering who was on the other side, and why they were watching. There weren't any immediate answers to be found though, and with the camera watching me in silence, I began to follow the path.

Before very long, I came to a gap in the path. A crevasse had opened up in the ground, and someone had laid a narrow board across the gap, creating a rickety bridge. Something that looked like a fence spanned the gap, intersecting with the bridge, but the gaps in the fence were large. I would easily be able to pass through.

"Hey kid," a deep voice said from behind me. "Why don't'cha turn around?"

I froze letting out a small squeak, and then spun around. I hadn't even noticed him, but a skeleton had snuck up behind me.

His empty eye-sockets, all darkness stared straight at me, and a huge smile was plastered across his face. It didn't seem forced, but I didn't think the smile was real either. He wore a large blue hoodie, the zipper left undone, and a white shirt underneath. The inside of the hood was lined with white fur, it looked warm. He wore black shorts, exposing the bones of his legs, and a lazy pair of slippers adorned his feet.

He kept his hands in his pockets, but I could see the way his shoulders were bunched up under the hoodie.

"You got anything to say to me?" he asked.

"Anything to say?" I asked. "Um…hello?"

A glimmer of blue flashed deep inside the skeleton's left eye socket.

"'Hello?' That's all you've got? No apologies or nuthin'?" The skeleton said.

What was he talking about? Why was I supposed to apologize to someone I had never met before?

I took a step back. I was at the edge of the road, any further back, and I'd be on the bridge.

"You scared?" he asked. "Well, that's good. Cause I'm gonna make sure you have a bad time."

His voice dripped with malice. I gasped and turned around. I raced across the bridge without looking back. I couldn't hear in footsteps though. Maybe he hadn't followed me?

I didn't stop running until I had left the bridge well behind. I came to a stop in front of a small shack. A sign posted beside it said it was a "sentry station." There an odd shaped lamp nearby too, but what a lamp was doing in the middle of a snowy forest I couldn't fathom.

I continued on, undisturbed by anyone, until I encountered another of the glowing lights. SAVE point. That's what it was called. I didn't know why I knew, but I knew. I touched the SAVE point. I felt the pain of the burns caused by Toriel vanish, and the fear caused by the skeleton subsided, pushed to the back of my mind.

I was filled with d*********** .

I shook my head and took a step away from the SAVE point and tried not to cry. Something painful stirred inside me as I stared at the light.

"Just because you can SAVE, doesn't mean you're safe," the skeleton's voice reached my ears.

I looked in his direction, he was standing in my path. How had he gotten there? I hadn't seen him since the bridge, and he hadn't followed me. There hadn't seemed to be another path to take; maybe he knew a short cut?

"I don't know what you mean," I said. "Who are you?"

"Pretending to have forgotten won't excuse you," the skeleton said. "Give up the act, it's getting boring."

The skeleton's hands were still in his pockets, but his smile was crooked. He was irritated? It was hard to read him; I wasn't used to trying to pick up expressions on such a featureless face.

"Papyrus had been acting strange since the last big reset, and now this?" the skeleton said. "There's a lot of things I've forgiven you for, but taking away our Happy Ending? That's not something I can overlook."

There was that word again.

"What's a reset?" I asked.

"You- " the skeleton snarled at me. "Why are you asking me that again? Doesn't it get boring, pretending every time? Asking the same questions over and over again?"

His left eye began to admit a blue light, and I shivered. The skeleton's smile widened as he watched my reaction.

"Yeah, no matter how good an actor you are, this isn't something you can forget, huh?" the skeleton asked.

"I don't know what you mean," I replied. "Why are you so angry?"

"Kid, I've had enough of your playing around," the skeleton said. "Or, are you saying you really forgot everyone? Undyne, and Alphys, my little brother Papyrus? You even forgot me, Sans?"

"I don't know if I forgot," I said, "but no, I don't know who you are."

The blue light flickered and dimmed.

"You really, really don't know?" he asked.

"I-…I don't know," I said.

"Oh," Sans said. "So you did…forget."

His smile faltered. Could skeleton's cry? I was probably about to find out right now. Sans stared at me and then his shoulders slumped.

"You forgot everything? Why?" he asked. Tears, glowing in the color of his magic, began to run down his face. "Why only you? Why couldn't I get to forget everything too?" His voice cracked and he held his hands up to his eye sockets. "Why did you have to leave me behind?"

Sans turned away and walked off. I stared at his receding back. My racing heartbeat began to slow, but my stomach was twisting itself into knots. Why was Sans crying? What was I missing?

What had I forgotten?

I steeled myself to follow Sans. I had to find out.


	6. Snowy

-This isn't a perfect run-

-Enjoy-

* * *

I followed Sans, but I didn't think he noticed me.

"Hey bone-head, stop," a voice that sent shivers through my body called out to the skeleton.

Sans stopped, looking around for the source of the voice. He was standing in the middle of a snowy field surrounded by steep cliffs. The path had long disappeared; I would probably get lost if I didn't keep following Sans at this point.

"Down here, idiot," Flowey said.

Sans looked down at the ground at his feet. Flowey was looking up him, his eyes and mouth both narrowed. I suppressed a gasp and quickly hid. I didn't want Flowey to find me.

"Huh?" Sans looked down at Flowey. "You're that flower that follows the kid around. You're not trying to kill the kid, are you?"

Menace filled San's voice, but Flowey just laughed it off.

"Me? Look who's talking. How many resets did you make Frisk go through just now?" Flowey asked. "The human doesn't even remember. You could do anything you wanted to that kid, and as soon as a reset happens, poof, memories are gone. Frisk is just like the monsters of the Underground now."

"There's no way that's true," Sans replied. "Killing the kid still causes a reset. Just because the memories are gone, doesn't mean the blame is."

"You're talking about resetting the Happy Ending," Flowey said. "But what if that wasn't Frisk's fault?"

"How- The kid is the only one with enough d*********** to do something like that," Sans replied. "Who else could it be?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Flowey asked. "I'm just a flower, don't expect me to have all the answers."

Sans's smile became stiff. Was he angry? Then why was he still smiling?

"Then what answers do you have?" Sans asked.

"I watched Frisk in the ruins for a long time," Flowey said. "Resets still seemed to be tied to Frisk's death, but Frisk returns with no memories, and without any memories, the resets happen more often and more frequently. I'm sure you noticed that too."

I felt my fingers clench into fists. Why were they talking about me like they knew who I was? I had forgotten something? What? And what was this about dying?

I stepped out of hiding, too curious to not be involved anymore.

"What are yo-" I faltered as Sans and Flowey both turned to look at me.

Flowey looked horrified, and Sans was looking at me like he didn't know what to say.

"What…are you talking…about?" I managed to say.

Flowey drooped, his petals losing their luster. As I approached, he looked up at me with a small frown. He seemed to shrink in on himself. Was this the same flower who had tried to kill me just a short time ago?

"Frisk, we- " Flowey began, but Sans cut him off.

"Did you understand what we were talking about?" Sans asked.

I shook my head.

"Frisk doesn't remember anything," Flowey said. "We'll have to explain from the beginning."

Sans sighed.

"Listen up kid, this may be confusing, but it's the truth, and I need you to believe me," Sans said. "You see, you fell into the Underground a long time ago. Only, it wasn't that long ago for most people. For people like me, and this flower here, and used to be you as well, it's been a very, very long time."

I tilted my head, and felt my face scrunch up. What was Sans talking about?

Flowey sighed. "You're just going to confuse Frisk if you sugar coat it like that," the flower said. "Frisk, here's how it works. Every time you die, the entire world resets to the last time you SAVEd. You know what SAVEing is, right?"

I nodded. At least I knew that much.

"Sometimes, when you die, the world is reset all the way back to the beginning, when you first fell into the Underground," Flowey explained. "Most people don't remember what happened during a time that has been reset, but this idiot skeleton and I are both exceptions. You should be one too, but…

"Before this latest big reset, you were able to remember, and you had control over the resets, but someone took that ability from you," Flowey said.

The world reset every time I died? What kind of power was that supposed to be?

"Have I…died a lot?" I asked.

Sans looked away and nodded.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought you had done this on-purpose. I thought we were done with all the resets. I thought we were supposed to be happy."

Flowey sneered at Sans.

"So, if someone took 'resets' away from me, who was it?" I asked.

Sans shook his head, but Flowey turned grim.

"I know who it was," Flowey said. "It was Fa- Asgore."

"The king?" Sans asked. "He's the biggest goofball around, why would he do something like that?'

"I have a guess, but since I'm not sure, I don't want to say," Flowey replied.

I wanted him to tell me, but Flowey's hunched posture and forlorn gaze stopped me from asking. It would seem he hated whatever idea he had. I did have one question for him though.

"Why did you try to kill me when we met?" I asked. "If you knew who I was, then why?"

"Maybe because I'm not actually a nice person?" Flowey replied.

I frowned. I didn't think it would be that touchy of a subject. After all, I was the one he had tried to kill. Shouldn't I be the one upset about everything?

"So what happens now?" I asked. "Do I just keep on dying and resetting? Is that what anyone wants?"

"We'll continue forward," Sans said. "You obtained a Happy Ending for everyone once before. Even without your memories, I know you can do it again, kid. And if you aren't able to remember, then the flower and I'll do it for you."

"Hey, don't volunteer me for things," Flowey snapped.

"Aren't you the one who's been following the kid since day one?" Sans asked.

"That's-I…but Frisk!" Flowey stammered.

I couldn't help but giggle at Flowey's flustered face. Sans's smile grew wider, and for the first time he looked genuinely happy.

"Well, I guess if you don't want to come with me, you buttercup away," I said.

I tried to bite back my laughter, but a giggle leaked through.

Flowey turned to look at me, his eyes wide and his mouth a straight line. Sans burst into laughter, doubling over and clutching his sides.

"Nice one kid," Sans said, "glad to see you haven't lost your funny bone along with your memories."

"Oh my god," Flowey screamed. "The two of you are horrible."


	7. Dogsong

Sans went on ahead. He was going to try to meet up with his brother, Papyrus in Snowdin. Sans said Papyrus had been visiting a friend, but he was supposed to be coming home today. The skeleton acted a little sad when I didn't remember his brother. Perhaps even more so than when he realized I didn't remember Sans himself.

When I asked Flowey, who stayed with me, if I had been close to Papyrus in the past, Flowey just stuck out his tongue and made a barfing sound. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to take that.

Flowey and I made our way through the forest. Sans had deactivated the puzzles in the forest as he went through, and that was clearly to Flowey's liking. Some of them looked kind of fun though, it would have been nice to get the chance to try them. It was probably faster just to skip them though.

Flowey didn't seem to want to talk to me, so for the most part, I traveled in silence with Flowey popping up out of the ground every few feet or so and giving me an impatient glare. It got a little tiring after a while, but I knew Flowey was just trying to help. Well…I thought he was trying to help. I wasn't actually really sure just yet.

I was lucky the snow wasn't actually cold, I was only wearing a shirt and some shorts after all. Magic snow, from some kind of magic source, I supposed. Just like the light that lit the Underground. That part I had figured out pretty quickly. Crystals sat in the stone ceiling, glowing like countless stars. It was a beautiful sight, but not seeing the sun forever might get a little lonely.

A barking sound interrupted our silent traveling, and white dog wearing armor and carrying a sword bounded up to me and sprung into my chest. I was knocked over, but the snow cushioned my fall.

"Hey, mutt!" Flowey snapped as soon as he saw me fall over. "What do you think you're doing?"

Flowey's mouth split into a jagged smile, as terrifying as it was painful looking. The dog…didn't care. It seemed to be more concerned with rubbing up against my chest. I was reminded of a dog I once had that would snuggle up to me whenever I got home after being gone a while. But this dog wasn't mine, and it was the first time I had ever seen it.

I scratched the dog behind the ears and then watched in fascination as the dog stretched its neck so I could better scratch it. The scratching continued, and so did the neck stretching. I scratched, the neck grew, and son. The dog wasn't in any kind of pain, from what I could see, and the more it's neck stretched, the happier it became.

Soon, the dog's neck had grown to an unbelievable length. It towered over me, stretching high into the sky. The dog's head wobbled at the top of the long neck that had surpassed even a giraffe's height.

"Um…Frisk...," Flowey said. "…maybe you should…stop."

"Yeah," I said as I stopped petting the dog. "You…may be right."

As soon as I stopped petting, the dog leapt off of me, shook, and then bounded off into the snow. Its long neck swayed, and the dog's small body could barely support the weight of the neck.

My hands covered my mouth as I tried to hold back my laughter, but Flowey just laughed straight out.

"HAHAAHAHA," the flower cackled. "Look at him run."

Flowey's leaves pounded on the ground and his golden petals spread wide. I began to laugh too, doubling over as Flowey and I laughed together. Eventually, our laughter died out, and Flowey and I stared at each other. Flowey's face turned bright red. Flowers could blush? Well, after that dog, I didn't think anything would really surprise me.

"Idiot," Flowey muttered, and then dove underground.

I scowled at the spot where he had disappeared. Did he not like having fun or something?

I continued on alone. Flowey didn't reappear unless I encountered monsters, and even then, he only sat a few feet away, watching me talk my way out of the fights.

"Why do you do that?" he asked as I sent a cute little monster names Snowdrake on her way after having a battle-of-puns with her.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Let them walk all over you," Flowey replied. "It's dangerous."

"That didn't seem dangerous to me," I replied.

Flowey's petals drooped and he looked away.

"That's only because you don't remember," Flowey said. "Sans isn't going to be happy with me, but he doesn't understand how hard you are to protect."

"Huh?" I asked.

"It's like you're asking to be killed," Flowey muttered, and then he burrowed underground.

I put a hand to my head. Had I died? I bit my lip and wrapped my arms around myself. What a strange feeling, being told about your death. Had it painful? Scary? What had I thought during my last moments? Had I known I would just reset again?

I took a deep breath. There was nothing to do for it now. If I had died, then that was that. I could only keep going forward right?


	8. Snowdin Town

-Keep up that smile-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Sans didn't meet us in Snowdin Town.

Flowey had scowled and muttered something about how "it figured that lazy skeleton wasn't around when you needed him most."

"Where do you think he is?" I asked.

Flowey gave a little shrug with his leaves "I'll have to go look for that idiot skeleton. You stay here, can't possibly get into too much trouble in the middle of town."

Flowey disappeared into the ground, but popped back up right away.

"SAVE point," he said. "I don't want to have to walk back here again." And then he disappeared again.

I looked around. Above ground, Snowdin would have been called…uh…what was that word again…quaint? In any case, it was a cute, small town. The kind of town whose chief occupants should have been some cute, old grandparents, not a bunch of monsters.

After seeing Sans, I had expected the monsters of Snowdin to be skeletons like himself, or maybe something that would look right at home next to a skeleton, but most of the monsters were actually fluffy, white bunnies. They walked round on two legs, chatted with each other, and for the most part looked they belonged in the snow. So, maybe they weren't some cute old-people, but cute bunny-people were probably close enough.

The town itself was decorated like they were about celebrate Christmas. A little tree in the middle of the town was decorated with lights, and there were presents underneath the tree. The presents were all addressed, most with the names of both the senders and the recipeients. There were a couple under the tree addressed to a "Papyrus" from a "Sansta." I smiled at that. Did monsters believe in Santa too?

There were some other monsters strolling about the town who looked more the part a monster, but despite their appearances, they just didn't seem very monstrous. The ones I saw were all smiling, and not a single one looked interested in picking a fight. Hadn't Toriel said it was kill or be killed out here? I didn't want to ignore her words, but none of these monsters seemed to be spoiling for a fight, and most of them didn't even realize I was a human.

One of the monsters was just a kid like me. The kid stood near the Christmas tree, chattering to anyone nearby about how great "Undyne" was, and how they wanted to be just like her. I watched the kid from a little way away, but the monster noticed me and then gave me a huge smile that would have been accompanied by some enthusiastic waving, if the kid had had arms.

I wasn't feeling brave enough to talk to the kid, or anyone else for that matter, but as I wandered through the town, I heard snatches of their conversations. The monsters were smiling, but their words were full of despair. There was mention of over-crowding and desperate pleas for the "seventh." I wanted to ask them what it meant, but whenever I drew near, my voice got stuck in my throat and I trembled. The monster would give me a weird look, and then I'd run away. I would've asked Flowey, but he hadn't come back since going off to look for Sans.

Ah! Flowey had told me to SAVE. I had completely forgotten while exploring the town. I remembered seeing one of the glowing lights near the entrance to the town, and I turned back to go find it.

The SAVE point was sitting between a pair of shops, an inn and a store of some kind. I peered in through the windows, wondering what kinds of goods monsters would sell. Flowey's words echoed in my ears, and before I let myself get distracted again, I placed my hand over the golden light and SAVEd.

As soon as I stepped away, I staggered forward, clutching my head and wincing in pain. The world around me spun and I leaned against the nearby building for support. The dizziness passed, but what remained was a gloom and darkness that coiled in my chest like a snake.

I just…didn't want to do anything anymore. Helplessness weighed down my chest. My legs were heavy, I couldn't take another step. What…had happened?

I took a deep breath and crouched, sliding my hand down the wall to steady myself. I sat down in the snow and leaned my back against the store wall. I stared at the SAVE point and then closed my eyes. The darkness I found there was better than watching that golden glow. I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and put my head down.

Hopefully this way, none of those friendly monsters would have to see me crying.

* * *

Sans found me sometime after that. I hadn't moved from that spot. The tears had stopped, but my throat was hoarse, and my eyes felt gummy. The snow wasn't really cold, but there was still a chill in the air, and I was shivering through my entire body. I couldn't stand, if I did, something awful would happen. Something I couldn't bear to happen. Or maybe, maybe something bad had already happened and I just didn't know.

"What's the matter kid, you look like you've seen a ghost," Sans said crouching down beside me. I felt his bony had rest on my head.

Was that supposed to be a joke? Was I supposed to laugh here. I opened my mouth, but the only thing that came out was harsh breathing, interspersed with what I hoped didn't sound like a sob to the skeleton.

I felt a soft weight on my arms, and battling my own reluctance, I looked up, blinking at the soft light of the stars. Sans was standing before me. He removed his jacket and laid it on top of me. It was warm. Were skeletons naturally warm? Or was it his magic? Sans's eye sockets were as dark as ever, but two white pupils floated within them, staring down at me. Concern warped his features, and his smile turned down at the edges.

"Sans?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Did I die?"

"Ah…that," Sans looked away from me. He kept his gaze focused elsewhere as he nodded. "Yeah, you've…died a lot since you got to Snowdin."

"How?" I asked.

"It's this idiot's fault," Flowey snarled as he sprung up out of the ground. "His brother keeps killing you, and this bone-head won't do anything to stop it."

"Cutting me to the bone there, flower," Sans said.

A small smile spread across my face, but despite that, Sans still looked upset.

"What happened?" I asked.

Sans sighed. He lifted me up off the ground and tossed me over his shoulder. Sans wasn't much taller than me, so the ground wasn't very far, but my head spun as the world around me settled. Sans had lifted me so easily. How strong was he really?

"Let's talk this over at Grillby's," Sans said. "Get you into the warmth, as well as get you something to eat. I think you could use some of both."


	9. Nyeh Heh Heh!

-I wonder if something is missing?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

"Grillby's" turned out to be a restaurant, or maybe it was a bar? I had never been in a bar before on the surface, so I didn't have much to compare to. Could monster's even drink alcohol? Well, if a place like this existed, then the answer was probably "yes." In the back of the building, a bartender was standing behind a high counter. His head was on fire. Or, actually, his entire head was fire. And so were his hands. Was his entire body made of fire? He was dressed in a nice suit, but how was it not burning?

Sans put me down as soon as he entered the bar, he made a bee line for the counter, giving the myriad monsters who greeted him a quick nod and wave. The place was full, and I recognized several of the monsters sitting at the tables from my time in the snow forest. The dogs in particular were all gathered around a couple of tables, and their tales thumped their chairs as I waved.

I followed Sans and we took seats on the high stools at the counter.

"Looks like you've made some friends, kid," Sans said as we sat down on the stools.

I nodded. The bartender was giving off a pleasant level of warmth. Would it be rude if I held up my hands towards him to warm them up? I looked at my hands, and then rested them on the table. That would, probably be rude, right?

"Hey Grillby," Sans said, waving to the bartender. "You look fired up today."

I choked back a snicker and Sans grinned at me.

Grillby sighed.

"I see you've brought along a new face, and quite an unusual one at that. Does your brother know you're wandering around with a human?" he asked.

"We both know he's been away for the last few days. Special training from Undyne or something like that," Sans said. "How would he know?"

"I'm surprised you were still working even without him here to keep you on task," Grillby said. "The only bones in your body are the lazy kind."

Sans howled with laughter, slapping his hand on the counter, and Grillby just sighed. I giggled, more amused by Sans's reaction than the joke itself.

Sans shrugged. "Anything you want to eat, kid?"

I shrugged. I was still feeling too sick to be hungry, and that squirming darkness in my chest still hadn't left.

"Should eat something," Sans said. "Grillz, get us both a burger. And don't forget the ketchup."

I groaned. I really didn't want to eat anything. Grillby nodded and went through a door to behind the bar to get us the food.

"So," Sans said once we were alone. "Papyrus."

I looked at Sans. He was staring at the counter, his hands twisted together and resting before him.

"Papyrus is my little brother, the only family I've got," Sans said. "Well, at least right now he is."

Sans glanced my direction and then shook his skull and looked up at the ceiling.

"Anyway, Paps is just about the greatest guy I know," Sans said. "Nothing like me, not a lazy bone in his body, and he's always happy. Normally, by now you would have met him, he's always skull-king around his puzzles, but he's been away from Snowdin for the last few days. He comes back today, always around this time."

"Is that…when I would fight him?" I asked.

"He's found you wandering around Snowdin a few times, before I could find him. Other times you meet each other for the first time outside of the town," Sans said.

"Is he strong?" I asked.

"I don't know if that's really the issue," he said. "You never fight him, after all."

I tilted my head to the side. We fight…but we don't fight?

The food arrived, a pair of slightly charred hamburgers. I was surprised to see such familiar food, and the smell drifted into my nose. My stomach grumbled. Maybe Sans was right, maybe food really would help. When was the last time I ate? The pie at Toriel's? I knew for sure I hadn't eaten anything since then.

"Bone appetit," I said as I picked up the hamburger.

Sans groaned, "Beat me to it."

Sans lifted a ketchup bottle and made a cheers motion with it, but then, instead of putting the ketchup on is burger, he just drank it straight from the bottle. I…wasn't surprised. I watched him for a moment, but the smell of the food in front of me was too much to resist for long. I dug into the burger with an eagerness that surprised myself and Sans. After a short chuckle, Sans continued.

"You've convinced him before in the past," Sans said. "Or maybe it was the future? Well, either way, in other timelines, you were…almost… always able to convince him to give up without having to hurt him. I thought this time would be the same, I thought you just needed to take a few cracks at it. But Paps is being stub-boner than usual. It doesn't seem to matter what you say, kid. Paps kills you every time. Maybe because you didn't get to become friends before you fought?"

It was a strange thing to hear about myself dying from someone else. It didn't really mean much to me, but from the downcast expression on Sans's face, and the way his white pupils kept looking my way for only a moment before looking back at his own food, I knew it meant something to him.

"I'm sorry," Sans said. "Just as Flowey said, I haven't been helping you at all. I thought you could handle it alone, but that wasn't really fair to you."

"So what happens now?" I asked as I set my burger down. "Am I…supposed to just keep trying? Will that…help anyone?"

Sans flinched and then turned to face me.

"What happened to all your D*********, kiddo?" Sans asked.

"My what?" There was that word again. Was it something important?

"D**********n," Sans replied. "It's why you can reset and save and stuff."

"What is that word you keep saying?" I asked. "I can't hear it right."

"Huh? What are you saying, I'm telling you loud and clear, it's your D*********n," Sans said.

The world swam before my eyes and I put a hand to my head. I rubbed my eyes, and after a moment, the scenery around me became steady again.

"Don't tell me, you lost your D********n?" Sans muttered.

I stared at Sans. What did he want me to say?

"If that's the case, then I know someone who might have an idea about what's happened to you," Sans said.

"Who?" I asked.

"Well, you know her, but I guess you don't remember her. Anyway, her name's Alphys, she's the royal scientist working for King Dreemur."

"No."

The sudden interjection seemed to come from nowhere, but when the voice continued to speak I looked down and saw Flowey had managed to pop up out of the floorboards next to the bar. Sans and I stared at the flower, more concerned with how he had managed to burrow through the floor than with what he was saying.

"I don't think we should have anything to do with her, and you certainly shouldn't trust her," Flowey was saying.

"What's got your vines in a twist?" Sans asked. "There's nothing wrong with Alphys. Well…she may be a bit of a recluse, but she's got a good heart. More importantly, she the biggest expert on D…on the thing the kid is missing in the Underground."

"I don't like her," Flowey said.

"Do you like anyone?" I asked.

It wasn't meant to be a difficult question, and nor was it meant to be mean. I didn't know Flowey very well, but I had yet to hear him say anything nice about anyone. Didn't it get exhausting hating people all the time? Flowey opened his mouth to give what was surely going to be a venomous retort, but he shut his mouth and looked away.

"Idiots," he muttered at length and then vanished into the floor boards.

"Huh," Sans said. "How does that even work?"

I shrugged. If Sans didn't know how, there was no way I would.

"So, we need to visit…Alphys?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sans said, nodding his skull. "But first, we gotta convince that bone-headed brother of mine to let us pass, and…well I got an idea for that."


	10. Bonetrousle

-These sorts of things happen-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Sans told me his plan. I didn't like it. Flowey liked it; which was probably just a statement of how bad an idea it was.

I didn't tell him that though. I didn't think Sans was proud of the plan, but it looked like it was something he had thought long and hard about. Besides if he had known I didn't like it, if he had known I wasn't going to go along with it, and I died again, he probably just wouldn't tell me what it was next time.

There was no way I was going to let Sans fight his brother. I'm not sure why, but every time I even tried to imagine the concept, it just felt so…so wrong. There were a lot of things I didn't know, and according to Sans and Flowey, a lot of things I didn't remember, but I was sure that a battle between Sans and Papyrus was something that should never happen. And I wasn't going to let my being here be the reason they did fight.

Sans said if I didn't encounter Papyrus in town, then I always ran into him as we tried to leave town. He said it was in the foggy space between Snowdin town and a place called Waterfall. Where the fog was thickest, it was easy for Papyrus to ambush me there, and difficult for me to escape.

So I let Sans lead the way until the fog began to grow thick, and then without giving him any sort of warning, I ran out ahead of Sans. Sans was smart, he figured out what I was up to and called for me to come back right away, but I was faster than a lazy skeleton, and soon his voice faded into the mist behind me.

I ran headlong into the mist. Soon, I couldn't see anything but white in front of me. I couldn't tell where I was going, but somewhere to my left, I could hear the sound of running water. I figured as long as I kept that on the same side, I wouldn't get too lost. Hopefully. The thick mist made my hair and clothes wet, I was cold, but until I got out of the fog there wasn't much I could do about it.

"Stop Right There Human!"

A voice I didn't recognize echoed out of the mist, and following close behind it was a tall, thin silhouette.

I stopped. As I caught my breath, the owner of the voice approached, and I got my first look at the skeleton Sans called brother.

If I was being entirely honest, I would never have known this was Sans's sibling. They were both skeletons, but that was really where all resemblance ended. Papyrus was tall and lanky, maybe even twice as tall as Sans. Sans was short to be sure, but Papyrus was really tall, I didn't think I would even come up to his waist.

He wore a shiny silver breastplate and red boots. A matching red scarf was wrapped around his neck, and it trailed behind him, a red streak in the white mist. He looked…like a superhero. No wonder Sans thought he was so great. Just looking at Papyrus I could feel a blooming admiration for him.

But, without meaning to my hands curled into fists. If Papyrus was the superhero, then what did that make the person he was fighting? I wasn't the villain was I? Was it just because I was a human? Or was there something else?

Like Sans, he had a huge smile plastered to his face, but unlike the elder brother, the younger brother just seemed like a genuinely cheerful skeleton. He was practically exuding exuberance as he stared at me, his hand resting on his hip as the other waved about to emphasize his words.

Not that his words needed much emphasizing. He did that just fine with nothing but his voice.

"Hello Human," Papyrus declared. "I The Great Papyrus Have Come to Slay You. I Am Very Sorry About This."

It was an odd mix of pride and regret.

"Papyrus, right?" I asked. "Sans told me about you."

"You Have Met My Brother?" Papyrus declared again.

I nodded.

"Do you really have to kill me?" I asked.

Papyrus's smile faltered, and I saw his shoulders slouch. The sharpness of the red scarf seemed to dull, sagging a little as it stretched out behind him.

"Such Are The Orders," he declared. "Undyne Says You Are Evil. I Cannot Let You Leave This Place."

He wasn't exactly monotone, but Papyrus said everything as if he was making a great announcement to the world. It wasn't annoying though, just funny, but this wasn't really the kind of situation I could laugh in.

"Did I do something bad?" I asked.

"All Humans Are Bad," Papyrus replied. "You Are A Human, You Should Know This Too."

"This is going the same as before," Flowey said.

He popped up out of the ground next to me. He had gotten here much faster than Sans.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, nothing has changed. He'll kill you just the same as always," Flowey replied.

"An Echo Flower?" Papyrus asked as he bent over to look at Flowey.

"Keep your eyes to yourself, you freak," Flowey said.

Flowey snarled up at Papyrus, but seeing as Flowey didn't even reach half way up Papyrus's shin bone, I didn't think the skeleton was feeling at all threatened.

"Can't you just let me pass?" I asked. "I won't hurt anyone, I promise."

Papyrus shook his head. The expression on his face matched the one I had seen so frequently on his brother's face. It wasn't sadness, I realized, it was regret.

"One more human soul is all we need," Papyrus said, his voice became soft. "One more, and we can be free, but King Dreemur has said you are too dangerous to use."

"I'm not," I replied as I held my empty hands out for Papyrus to see. "I'm not dangerous at all."

"I'm sorry," Papyrus said as he raised a hand towards me. "Orders are orders."

The wind died, and the scarf flowing in the wind behind Papyrus disappeared behind his back. Papyrus closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his smile was replaced with a small frown.

A bone, similar in size and shape to Papyrus's femur, floated in the air behind him. The bone spun for a moment, and then shot forward, straight towards my heart. I gasped and dove out of the way. The bone sped past me and disappeared into the mist.

Papyrus grimaced.

"I don't wish for this to hurt," he said.

He held his hand up again. More bones appeared behind him, a trio that spun behind him in slow circles. His arm was trembling, but he continued to take aim.

The first bone shot out, and I rolled out of the way just as the second one targeted where I dodged to. It was a close call, but I slid under the second bone. The third one flew towards my head as I recovered from the slide. I leapt to my feet and stepped to the side. The bone clipped my arm as it sped by, cutting through the skin and drawing blood. I hissed in pain but stayed standing. Toriel's fire had hurt far worse. It was as if Papyrus didn't really want to hurt me.

Papyrus clenched his gloved fist and looked away.

"I will become a Royal Guardsman," he said in a quiet voice.

Bones, numbering in the tens, swirled around both Papyrus and myself. They lined up in a ring around my body, but I could see Papyrus was hesitating. He was staring at me, an orange glow flickering in his eyes as if he didn't want it to be seen.

More bones materialized closer to my body, they were lined up vertically, end on end and surrounded me like a shield. Papyrus grimaced, but his expression wasn't directed at me or the bones, it was towards Sans who had appeared between Papyrus and I. The air around Sans was stained with a blue glow, especially near his left eye. I shivered looking at the color.

"You okay kid? Scared me to the bone there," Sans said. "Heya Paps, how's it going, don't tell me this kid got under your skin?"

"Sans, Brother, Get Out Of The Way," Papyrus said. "I Almost Attacked You. We Both Know That Would Not End Well."

Sans glanced back at me.

"You hurt anywhere, kid?" he asked.

I shook my head, and Sans looked back at Papyrus. The tension in his shoulders disappeared, Sans pulled up the hood of his jacket and then put his hands in the pockets.

"Hey, bro," Sans said. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Sans, Move," Papyrus said. "I Need to Kill The Human."

"Kill Frisk?" Sans asked. "Bro, since when have you been a killer?"

"Undyne says-"

"Papyrus, I know neither have anything in our heads, but you gotta think things through sometimes."

"Sans Move," Papyrus said. "I Must-"

Sans interrupted him with a harsh, cracking voice. "I'm not going to let you do this."

Papyrus's eyes grew wide, and he took a step back. The bones he had prepared for his attack disappeared in a flare of orange.

"Why?" Papyrus asked. "Why are you standing up for the human?"

"You have nothing to fear from Frisk," Sans said. "I…can vouch that this child means no harm."

Flowey chuckled, but I didn't see what was so funny.

"You actually care…?" Papyrus asked. "Protecting this human is something you want to do?"

Sans's skull bobbed, and I could see the fight leaving Papyrus's eyes. A smile reappeared on the skeleton's face.

"it's been so long since you wanted something," Papyrus said. "How can I stand in your way, brother?"


	11. Quiet Water

-Why do things always have to change?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

The quiet tranquility of Waterfall filled me with D*******n.

The sound of running water filled the caves. Stars lit the ceiling, only they weren't stars. They were magic crystals shining above and glimmering down at me. It was beautiful, but it was a scenery that would never change.

Flowers glowing with a gentle blue light, lit up a dark path covered in soft moss. The narrow paths were surrounded on all sides by water that glowed with a cyan radiance. I dipped my fingers in the water, expecting them to come out glowing, but the water was just normal, clear water as it dripped from my fingers.

Papyrus had come with us into waterfall, walking us as far as another sentry station that sat just within the borders. A SAVE point sat nearby, but I tried not to look at it. Papyrus and Sans had a small chat while a friendly monster taught me about Echo Flowers, the glowing flowers I saw everywhere here. I don't know what they talked about, but Papyrus was animated, and Sans was smiling. I could hear Sans chuckle on occasion, followed by an enraged "SANS" from Papyrus, but they didn't seem to be fighting.

When they were done, Papyrus came to see me. He was all smiles, and I could practically see him vibrating in his bones. He scooped me into a huge a hug and then announced he was looking forward to getting the chance to know me at a later date.

And that he would feed me spaghetti. That part seemed really important to him.

I was kind of looking forward to some spaghetti.

Papyrus set me down after nearly crushing me with his excitement and then turned away.

"Wait, you aren't coming with us?" I asked.

I had thought…after what had happened, wouldn't he want to come along?

"I Will Meet Up With You Later, Human," he said, "But First, I Must Speak To Undyne."

Papyrus returned to Snowdin, and I watched him go, feeling a little lonely already. How silly was that? I barely even knew him, but I had a feeling we could be great friends.

When Sans came back, his near-constant smile was turned down at the edges, and I could see concern warping the shape of his eye socket. It was amazing how malleable his skull was, nothing like a human skull at all.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Sans looked away, but I kept watching him. He was disturbed, but it didn't seem like he wanted to say why.

"Are you mad?" I asked. "Is it because I went ahead of you? Because I didn't listen to your plan?" I looked at my feet, watching them turn inwards as I expected Sans to yell at any moment. Well, Sans probably never yelled, but I'm sure he did something that was like the Sans-equivalent to yelling.

I didn't want Sans to be upset. I didn't want him to decide he didn't want to help me anymore. I could fear my eyes beginning to sting as tears welled in the corners.

"I'm sorry, I didn't *sniff* want you to *sniff* have to fight your brother," I said as the water began to run down my cheeks.

I looked down at the ground as the tears continued to fall. They were streaming down my face and my nose was running. Sans probably thought I was some huge crybaby now, but everything was so overwhelming here. Papyrus had tried to kill me, had killed me, and he wasn't the first. Even Toriel had hurt me, but I knew none of them were bad. Everyone I had met were all really nice people, so why did they have to fight me? Why did they want to kill me?

"Is there something wrong with me?" I wailed as I sank down into a crouch. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to stop the tears, "I am I bad person?"

Silence answered me, but I didn't have the courage to look up.

"Ah…" Flowey interjected into the silence. "Sans, what did you do? How could you break Frisk?"

"I didn't break the kid," Sans replied, his voice was a little stiff, "those are just tears. It's good to let them out once in a while."

"I know what tears are, you idiot," Flowey said.

"Oh? Didn't think flowers could cry," Sans said.

"Flowers can't," Flowey replied in a voice that could freeze lava.

I heard him burrow into the ground and then Sans grunted. A moment later, I felt Sans's bony hand resting on the top of my head.

"I'm not mad at ya, kid," Sans. "I'd prefer it if you didn't do reckless stuff like that though, chills me to the bone when I see that sort of thing."

Puns? At a time like this? That was so Sans…? What? I looked up at Sans, but his face was wavy and indistinct. I blinked at him, and I thought I saw a flash of concern on his face through the haze.

"You need to SAVE kid," he said. "Are there any of those SAVE points around here?"

I stood up and pointed to the one behind me. Sans looked where I was pointing and then shook his head.

"I can't see anything, must be a D********n thing," he said. "Go SAVE."

I shook my head. Bad things always happened after I SAVEd. Like I got sick and dizzy, or something scary happened afterwards.

Sans picked me up by the collar and then carried me over to where I had pointed. He dropped me in front of the SAVE point and then put his hands in his pockets.

"I got nothing but thyme," he said. "And I'd petal Flowey'd say the same."

A hissing sound could be heard beneath our feet, but plant in question didn't show his face. I giggled, sniffed, and then giggled again. Sans's puns were bad, so why were they so funny?

I turned to the SAVE point, bit my lip, and stretched my hand out to the light. There was no going forward until I did this, right? Maybe I could just go back to Snowdin, back to Grillby's where it was warm and the food was nothing but greasy-goodness. Maybe I could live there, and maybe one day, I'd get a present from someone named "Sansta." I smiled as I imagined it.

My fingers trembled as I touched SAVE point. I SAVEd.

Heavy footsteps rang in my ear, as if someone in metal boots was approaching me. I was standing at the edge of the bridge. I had been trying to escape, but had just ended up in a dead end. I trembled as the monster in metal appeared before me, face hidden by a steel mask, and a glowing spear in one hand. The monster said nothing, simply launched the spear in my direction. There was nowhere to escape to, and the spear tore open my stomach. I screamed in pain as the blood splattered everywhere. I could feel my life spilling from the hole in my chest, and I collapsed onto the wooden planks of the bridge. There was blood everywhere, soaking into the wood, covering my hands, splattered across Flowey's golden petals. Flowey was saying something, his eyes dark with what couldn't be concern. He waved his blood-stained leaves at me, but it didn't matter how hard he urged me, I couldn't stand.

I saw the monster approach. The footsteps sounded so far away, even though I knew they must be getting closer. Flowey moved from beside me, popping up between myself and the monster. He spread his leaves wide, but I could see him trembling. He was shouting something. I couldn't hear it. The monster kicked Flowey, and the golden flower was torn from the bridge by the force and tumbled off the edge, falling in the deep darkness below.

"Flowey," I tried to say, but I couldn't hear my voice.

The monster was holding another spear, and they raised it over my back. They brought it down, stabbing another hole in my torso. I felt blood spilling from my chest, but the sensation was short. Soon, everything was cold, and then, I didn't feel anything at all.

I was standing in front of the SAVE point. Sans was standing beside me. We were standing together, next to the sentry station. I grasped my chest, it was whole, intact and the pain was gone. Gone but not forgotten. I held my hands out before me, barely able to hold them still. The blood was gone, they were clean. My hands were shaking, almost too much for me to even see them clearly.

Sans reached his hands out and grasped mine. He held them still as he looked into my eyes. I gasped for breath, but the question in his eyes wasn't something I could answer just yet.

I trembled as I remembered, my entire body shaking in shock. A dream? Had that been a dream? Or had that been a death? Had I remembered myself dying? Why that of all things?

I couldn't catch my breath. It wouldn't come no matter how I tried. I tried to take deep breaths, but the amount of air that reached my lungs wasn't comparable to the effort I put into breathing. My surroundings began to swim, and my knees gave out. I fell to the ground, still clinging to Sans's hands.

The world turned dark and hazy, and then there was nothing.


	12. Premonition

-Why are you so quiet?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

When I awoke, I was somewhere else. I was still in Waterfall, but the save point and the sentry station were nowhere to be seen. A lonely Echo Flower stood nearby, and I could hear the trickling of water nearby. There were walls surrounding me on three sides, with only a narrow entrance leading in. It was a snug little place, kind of like a cave…within a much larger cave. There was no roof above my mini-cave; I could still see the light of the crystals above.

I lay on the ground, Sans's coat wrapped around me, and tried not to think about what it felt like to have a giant hole in my chest.

Why couldn't I have remembered something happy?

Who had been that armored monster anyway? I didn't recognize them, but I could still feel the hatred they had for me. It had been raw and unbridled. They weren't like Papyrus who had been reluctant to fight from the get go. I had never felt an urge to kill from Papyrus, even as he declared his intentions. But the armored monster was terrifying, even without saying a word.

After spending enough time pondering my past death, I sat up. I wasn't feeling dizzy anymore, but the dried, sticky feeling of having cried my eyes out remained. I was hungry, and even though I had just woken, I was tired. Crying did that to you. I would know.

I couldn't see Sans, and Flowey wasn't in sight either. It didn't mean much with the flower, even if I couldn't see him, there was still a chance he was around, but I was worried I couldn't see Sans. Where had he gone?

I tried not to tremble. I couldn't rely on Sans too much; I didn't think he actually liked me? He had stood up for me, but sometimes he gave me this look, as if…as if he didn't recognize me. Like he was looking at someone else. If worst came to worst, I might have to get on without him, and in that case, I had to be strong. I had to be able to get through things on my own.

But that didn't mean I didn't miss him.

There was an Echo Flower nearby, and remembering what the monster near the entrance to Waterfall had said, I stood up and walked over to it. Maybe someone had left behind a message in the flower. I hoped so, it would be something, anything, to distract myself. I leaned my head over and stuck my ear close. The petals ticked my face, and a glimmer of blue magic rose from the flower.

"I'm heading to Grillby's," the flower said. It was a little indistinct, like a bad recording, but it was clearly Sans. "I'm taking a shortcut I know, so I'll be back faster than you can say 'knock knock."

I giggled, he really liked his jokes.

"Who's there?" I asked the flower.

I smiled. There wouldn't be an answer, but maybe when Sans came back I'd have him listen to the flower and play along. That would probably be something he would like.

A cold feeling shot up my back and I spun around. There was nothing behind me, just the empty cavern. Flowey was still nowhere to be seen, and there was nowhere for someone to hide, but I could have sworn I had heard something.

I took a deep breath and put my ear to the flower once more to make sure it had captured my voice. I wasn't sure how sensitive the flowers were to picking up sounds.

"I-AM." The Flower said in a voice I didn't know.

I let out a shout of surprise and then covered my mouth. That wasn't my voice, and it wasn't Flowey's, and it wasn't Sans's either. I looked around again. There wasn't anyone here.

"Hello?" I called out. "Who's…who's there?"

But no one came.

I watched the Echo Flower, my shoulders trembling. I could feel myself tearing up, but I wouldn't cry. What would Sans say if he came back and I was crying all over his jacket? He probably wouldn't ever let me wear it again.

The cavern began to grow cold, as if some kind of pressure was filling the room. It wasn't just my imagination either, I could see my breath on the air as the temperature dropped. The feeling of anticipation oozed from the very walls; someone, or something, was waiting. I tried to ignore it, taking deep breaths, but the pressure just grew until I could almost feel someone standing behind me, breathing down my neck.

There's no one there. There can't be anyone there. I'm alone, I'm alone, so don't look. No need to turn around. No…no need. No looking. No looking. Don't turn around, don't. Don't Don't Don't. No, not looking. Won't look. Can't make me look. No no no no no nonnononononononononono.

I held my trembling hands to my head. My breath came in rattling gasps, the little puffs of white in the air came in smaller, more frequent bursts. The cold intensified and I felt the presence's chill breath against my neck. I almost cried out again, but like a child hiding from a monster in the closet, I held my breath and covered my eyes. If I couldn't see it, maybe it wouldn't hurt me. But my heart was pounding so hard, wouldn't it hear that?

I couldn't see it, and I couldn't hear it. But I knew it was there all the same, sharing a space with me. The cold shivers down my spine felt like long, careless fingers tracing their way down my back. What did it want? If it was going to kill me, couldn't it just get it over with?

"I-AM." The Echo Flower said.

The Echo Flower? But, hadn't it been overwritten by my scream? Had…the thing behind me repeated its words? Was it…trying to continue the joke? That was bad taste, even Sans's worst puns weren't this terrible. I didn't want to play along, but I couldn't stand this anymore. If the presence wanted to finish the joke, if that would make it go away, then…

"I-I-am…w-who?" I asked in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard.

The presence vanished so suddenly I could hardly breath in the void it left behind. My shoulders shook as I felt a weight lift from them. The cave felt vast and empty, but it wasn't any larger than it had been before. I was still alone. I had always been alone.

I stared at the Echo Flower.

I took a step forward, close enough to touch the flower. I took a deep, deep breath and held it for just a moment before releasing it in one slow motion. I leaned my head over, feeling its petals on my skin. There was nothing fun about this anymore. I heard the sound of hoarse breathing, echoed and distorted like I was listening through a tube, and then, in a voice full of static and pain.

"MURDERER."


	13. Waterfall

-You know I've lost count.-

-Enjoy-

* * *

I didn't tell Sans about the flower, but I was sure he noticed something was wrong. I avoided every Echo Flower in our path, giving them a wide berth, even when I had to go out of my way. The food he had brought back had gone a long way towards making me feel better, but the sight of the blue flowers sent my stomach churning and made me break out in a cold sweat.

Sans didn't ask, but I saw how he watched me with dark eyes. He increased the frequency of his puns and jokes. They were funny, they really were, but I couldn't laugh. Especially once he tried using his knock-knock jokes.

Flowey didn't say anything either. I wasn't sure it that was because he didn't know, or if because he just didn't care. He never said anything to me, but he had been unusually silent. That was probably more because of Sans's jokes than anything else though. Flowy would occasionally groan or hiss at a particularly bad one from time to time without even bothering to show his face. It was proof enough he was listening, even if he didn't want our company.

"MURDERER."

The word bounced around in my head. The voice in the flower had been distorted, far more than Sans's voice had. I didn't think that was entirely the doing of the flower. A ghost maybe? But, I had already met a ghost once, and he had been a nice, if depressed, monster. And his voice hadn't sounded anything like the voice in the flower.

Eventually I settled on describing the voice as being like oozing darkness. As if the darkness itself had taken a tangible form long enough to speak.

I had a bigger question on my mind though, and it was the one that drove me to silence despite the best of Sans's puns.

Who was the "murderer?" The owner of the voice? Maybe, but, if that was the case, why had the "joke" been set up like that?

"I am who?" I whispered to myself.

What's that, kid?" Sans asked.

"Oh nothing," I said.

Sans scowled. Well, at least, as close to scowling as he could get with that perma-smile. I was getting better at reading those expressions of his. I needed to distract him, anything to keep him from deciding he was going to have to ask me about why he had found me huddled up against a wall in the cavern with the uprooted Echo Flower thrown against the opposite wall.

Yes, the flower was innocent, but it kept whispering that word over and over and over again. Even when I tried to overwrite it. It just wouldn't…change. After a while it was too much, I tore the flower out of the ground and through it as far as I could. It was silent after that.

"What are those?" I asked.

I pointed at a painting on the wall of the cave. I had seen a few of them before in Waterfall, but I hadn't paid them any mind. The paintings were all done in the same style and using some kind of glowing paint. The simple figures in the images glowed with the same vibrancy as the Echo Flowers and the other plants in the area.

Sans and I stopped to look at the painting I had pointed to. It was of a monster and a human. The human was laying beneath the monster's feet, dead I assumed, and a glowing heart floated in front of the monster. A human soul. I had never seen one before, but even without Sans telling me, I knew that's what it was.

"I guess you really can't remember," Sans said. "Well, it's not like it'd be a problem to tell you, might kill some time, but It'd be a fibula if I told you this is a happy story."

"What story is it?" I asked.

"The story of how we monsters ended up in the Undergound."

* * *

"Long, long ago, way back in the bone age-"

"Is there such a thing?"

"-monsters and humans lived together. I don't suppose it was really peaceful, but there didn't seem to be a skele-ton of problems."

"Sans."

"Haha, just trying to lighten the mood kid, or can't you take a little rib-ing?"

"…"

"One day, the humans attacked the monsters. There was no warning. We fought back of course, but, in general, humans are much stronger than monsters. We didn't stand a ghost of a chance."

"But…you all have magic and stuff?"

"Doesn't mean crack when you're fighting an enemy who literally won't ever give up. Yeah sure, we could fight better on an individual level, but you humans just keep coming; it wears ya to the bone after a while."

"You-"

"There was only one way to win. If a monster absorbs a human soul, they gain a bone-a-fied power far beyond any monster or human. The humans were probably afraid of that power, and that's why they fought us so hard. You see, this soul absorbing thing doesn't go both ways. Monsters turn to dust on dying, and then their souls vanish. Humans…stick around, both in body and soul, and if a monster is fast enough, they can snatch up the soul and absorb it.

"What you end up getting is something with the power of a monster and the will of a human. An unstoppable force so to say. Humans really don't seem to like the thought of their souls being used this way. Well, who can blame them, I guess. That's basically saying we'd use their dead as a weapon to kill more of them.

"Effective or not, even that wasn't enough. The humans defeated us. We were sealed under into the Underground, and a barrier placed above us. Sometimes people, like yourself, can get in, but no one leaves. "

"Were the humans the bad guys?"

"I don't think it's really that simple. They were scared. But that doesn't mean they did the right thing."

"What do you think?"

"…"

"Sans?"

"Before we met, and…you have to realize kid, this was a long time ago for me, I thought humans were evil. Whenever humans come here, they wreak havoc. Hm? Ah, don't give me that look, you aren't the first human to come here, but you're definitely the most D********ned.

"After you came, I thought…maybe humans weren't so bad, but then you…you…ah never mind kid, best not to make bones about the past. Let's just say my judgement is up in the air at the moment, but most monsters haven't been around a human like I have, and to them, you humans are as much a mystery as a nightmare, but uh…what your spine, I guess."

"What does the "seventh" mean?"

"Oh, you heard that in Snowdin? See, the barrier was made by seven humans mages. So, in turn, we need seven human souls to break the barrier. I told you before you weren't the first human to come here. We already have six."

"I'm number seven?"

"Well…normally yes, that's how this plays out. But from what my bro said, I think things are a bit different this time around. I don't know what King Asgore is planning, or why, but I'm sure he's the one pulling the strings. Undyne isn't the most level headed person around, but she normally isn't gill-ty of breaching to conclusions."

"huh?"

"She's….a fish kid."

"Ohhhhh.

"Hey Sans?"

"Yeah kid?"

"How many times have we had this conversation?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to."


	14. Undyne

-I restrained myself-

-Enjoy-

* * *

"Shhh," Sans grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into a nearby growth of tall grass.

The sudden use of force surprised me, but I managed to avoid crying out. Sans crouched down beside me in the grass and held a phalanx to his mouth. He was looking up, towards the star-crystals above us. I frowned as I looked up as well. What was wrong?

The sound of heavy, metal-clad footsteps echoed through their surroundings. I knew that sound. I -knew- what that sound was. I remembered it from before, when I had…died. My body shook and my breathing became hoarse. I clamped my hands over my mouth, I was breathing so loud, surely the owner of those footsteps would be able to hear me. Sans looked down, probably noticing my trembling.

He pulled me into a hug, pressing my face into his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but the warmth of his skeletal body soaked into me, easing my fear. He held his hand to the back of my head, a comforting pressure I could rely. I focused on the feeling of the bones of his hand touching my hair. Better to focus on that than the snatches of memory I had. I clung to his blue jacket, my fingers digging into the fabric as if it was my sole lifeline.

The footsteps stopped. They sounded close, but came from up high as if their owner was standing above us. There was a cliff wall above us, if I remembered correctly, but I was too afraid to look and see. Sans held me closer, almost crushing me into him as he held me still.

"Undyne," Sans whispered.

"And?" a woman's voice, harsh and strong, asked. "Is there a reason you called me out here after failing to kill the human?"

"The Great Papyrus Didn't Fail Anything," Papyrus declared.

I felt Sans stiffen for just a moment before he relaxed.

"Well, then where is it?" the woman said. "Humans leave behind a husk, or something like that. Alphys told me about it. Where is that?

"I-I Chose Not To Kill The Human," Papyrus said.

"You what?" Undyne snarled. "Why would you do something like that? Didn't you hear your orders?"

"Why…why do we have to kill it?" Papyrus asked.

I felt Sans flinch, but his arms around me never lost their strength.

"I told you," the Undyne said. "The human is evil. Given a chance it will kill us all. We have to kill it before it manages to kill us."

"That…just doesn't seem right," Papyrus said. "I mean the human didn't seem all that bad. It was very nice when I talked to it."

"You…talked to it?" Undyne asked.

I heard a groan. It wasn't a sound I expected Papyrus to make, so it must have been Undyne.

"Papyrus," Undyne said, "do you have any idea how dangerous that was? King Dreemur said this human is a danger to everyone who meets it."

"The human…was kind," Papyrus said. "And…helping the human made my brother happy."

"Who cares if Sans is happy," the Undyne replied. "We're talking about a potential murderer running lose."

Murderer? I flinched at the word, memories of the voice in the flower coming back to me. I struggled to breath, and tears stung at the corners of my eyes. Sans rested his skull against my head, and I managed to blink away the tears.

"I care." Papyrus said.

An indignant snort followed Papyrus's words.

"Captain Undyne," Papyrus said. "I can't…help you."

"I see," Undyne said. The chill in her voice sent a shiver down my back. "Well then, Papyrus, you can consider you're application to the Royal Guard denied. We don't need anyone who can't place the good of the Underground ahead of their brother's feelings."

"Captain, that's-" Papyrus began, but he stopped short. "I-I understand."

I felt Sans's head jerk upwards, but I was still too overwhelmed by my own thoughts and memories to understand why he was upset.

The conversation ended. Papyrus's soft footsteps disappeared into the distance, and then after a minute or so, the heavy boots of Undyne stomped away.

Sans lifted me up and set me on my feet. He knelt in front of me, perfectly at eye level. His smile was wilted and I reached out to touch him, but before I could, Sans stood and walked away. I followed him out of the grass. Just as we stepped out into the open. I heard a scrabbling sound behind me and a small yellow monster popped out of the tall grass behind us.

Sans and I stared at the monster. It was the kid from Snowdin, the only with no arms. The kid was looking around with eyes wide and harsh breathing.

"Did you see THAT?" the monster said. "Undyne was SO COOL."

The monster kid looked at us, and me in particular, with expectation in her eyes as she hopped in a small circle and then tripped, her face smooshing into the ground.

"Ouch," Sans said. "Need a hand up, kid?" he asked as he offered the monster a hand.

"Sans," I said. "Was that-?"

Sans smirked at me, but his hand was ignored as the monster kid stood up with no problems whatsoever. She gave a little squeal of delight and then dashed away, disappearing into the gloom of waterfall within moments.

"Ok." Sans said as he retracted his still outstretched hand. "Gotta hand it to the kid, that's some enthusiasm."

I chuckled. My trembling hadn't stopped, but, Sans was helping. His bad jokes were helping, and his warmth was helping.

"Arm't you embarrassed? Some of those puns are…um," I said.

"Ah kid," Sans said, "I got an armful of em."

A growling sound emanated from the ground.

"Ah come one Flowey, give me a hand of applause for that one?"

"SHUT UP SANS," Flowey popped up for one second, just long enough to scream at Sans's face and then disappear again.

"Wow Flowey, nice impression of a tree, no need to leaf so soon though," Sans said as I began to giggle without remorse.

"I swear to god Sans, I will KILL you," Flowey's muffled voice was loud enough to be heard through the ground.

"Oh no, I butter me careful, or you'll cup me up," Sans said.

Sans grinned. He just had to get the last word, didn't he? There was no further reaction from Flowey, so Sans turned to me.

"Come on, kiddo," Sans said. "Let's get a move on before fish-lady comes back."


	15. Run!

-We're doing what we can. It isn't easy-

-Enjoy-

* * *

The spear whiffed past my head, stirring my hair with its passing. I gave a little squeak, and Sans tugged harder on my hand. More spears, glowing a vibrant blue, flew in our direction as we raced across the winding, wooden bridge. I could see Undyne standing on the shore nearby, hurling her magic spears in our direction with reckless abandon. She was screaming at us as we continued to evade.

I wasn't sure what she was more upset about, the fact that she kept missing us, or the fact that Sans and I couldn't stop laughing long enough to be afraid.

"What's the matter Undyne, this should be like shooting fish in a barrel," Sans shouted to armored monster.

A snarl of rage echoed through Waterfall as both Sans and I choked back our laughter to focus on our running.

Undyne had caught up to us a short while after talking to Papyrus. I'm not sure how she had found us, but Sans said she was a slippery one, and could find ways to get places that didn't exist. We had been just about to cross a narrow bridge that wound across the glowing surface of a lake when a spear, glowing just as brilliantly, soared through the air right in front of me at just the right height to take off my head.

I stopped walking and stared at the empty space in front of me, the after image of the spear still burning in my eyes. Sans had grabbed my arm and dragged me into a run as Undyne began to launch spear after spear. It had been scary, but I was with Sans, and it was really impossible to take anything serious when he was around.

"I fish you would just leave us alone," he had yelled without breaking stride shortly after the barrage had begun.

The spears had stopped, and I glanced over at Undyne to see her standing stone still, her arm raised as if preparing to throw a spear. She was wearing helmet, so I couldn't see her face, but I could hear the clattering of her armor as she shook in rage. Sans didn't waste time staring back, he kept running, and shouting pun after pun in Undyne's direction. The spears had started up again moments later, but though there were more than before, Undyne's aim seemed to be off.

"Hate to be rude, but I can't seem to spear what you're saying," Sans shouted as he stopped to avoid being pierced by a spear.

I cracked up as another scream tore through the air. We weren't in any less danger, actually, we were probably in a lot more than we had been before if the ferocious screaming was anything to go by, but, in a situation like this, how could I resist?

"It's ok," I said. "I don't think she could sea us either, maybe we should come back at a better orca-tunity." I said.

Sans grinned back at me, and a sudden well aimed spear landed between the two of us, separating us for a short moment until Sans grabbed my hand again and began to drag me forward.

"You two idiots are going to get yourselves killed," Flowey yelled as he popped up on the bridge in front of us.

There wasn't time to look, but I really wanted to know if his roots could be seen under the bridge.

"Nah, we aren't Dyne anytime soon," Sans chuckled as we ran past Flowey.

"I think I chose the wrong side," Flowey said. He swiveled around to look at Undyne and I saw his petals open wide and begin shaking. "I'm rooting for you, fish!"

A spear flew straight at him, and Flowey hissed and disappeared into the bridge. Did flowers even hiss? He was more like a cat than a plant at times, a really, really nasty cat.

"Hey Undyne, we should call you 'fsh' since you aim like you have no 'I's," Sans called out as soon as Flowey was gone.

"Don't rupture a gill," I said as I listened to the screams of rage.

This was such a bad idea; we were just making Undyne angrier than she already was. She already hated me and wanted to kill me, and now she probably wanted to kill Sans too. Jokes aside, I knew we couldn't dodge forever.

We were nearing the end of the bridge. Solid land was only a few steps away, and once we were there, Undyne wouldn't have an angle of attack anymore. She'd have to go around another direction to find us again. We were almost

I felt Sans tug on my arm, dragging me forward without any warning. Something grabbed my soul, holding it with a firm but warm grip. Whatever was holding onto my soul made it heavy, and I felt my body collapsing to the ground, but before I could fall, my body tumbled up into the air and was thrown the remaining few feet onto dry land.

I landed on my shoulder, hard enough to make me dizzy. A moment passed as I recovered, and I pushed myself up and looked back at the bridge. Sans was staring at me, a grimace twisting his smile, and his left eye leaving traces of magic in the air around him. It was clearly Sans who had thrown me, but why?

Behind Sans, I could see a cluster of spears sticking out of the bridge. I heard a loud crack, and then a heavy groan coming from the wood of the bridge. The planks beneath Sans began to splinter and crack.

"Sans?" I asked as I struggled to stand.

Sans grinned at me, but I could see the worry in the flickering magic of his eyes.

"Keep going kid," Sans said. "I'll catch up to you faster than you can say Bonetr-"

The bridge collapsed and Sans fell into the water below.

"Sans," I yelled.

There were no bubbles, and the water was still. How deep was the lake? Did skeletons need to breathe? Could skeletons swim? I could feel myself beginning to panic.

A spear tore through the air before me, and I looked up at Undyne. This wasn't funny anymore, was it? I grimaced and backed away from the collapsed bridge. Why wasn't Sans coming to the surface? The collapse hadn't hurt him, had it? Sans…would be back…wouldn't he?

As I crouched within the entrance to a nearby cavern, staying out of sight of Undyne, I watched the water as if I would see Sans at any moment.

But nobody came.


	16. Memory

-There may be more to this than meets the eye-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Being alone was…lonely. Flowey was terrible company. He tried to avoid talking to me whenever he could, and mostly he tried doing that by hiding beneath the ground. It was effective. I knew he could still hear me if I talked loud enough, but the monsters of Waterfall all looked at me like I had lost my mind when they saw me talking to a someone who clearly wasn't there.

I continued through Waterfall, not even really knowing if I was going in the right direction. I figured Flowey would say something if I wandered off the path though, he certainly complained every time I encountered a monster and talked with them, but he never mentioned anything about me dying. Maybe I was getting better at this? Or maybe he was just beyond saying anything. It was hard to tell if Flowey was in a good mood or not. The flower just seemed angry at everything, all the time.

I entered another set of caverns, a series of smaller rooms, each lit by the brilliant stars on the ceiling, and lined with glowing flowers and mushrooms.

The sound of discordant chimes, or maybe a broken music box, drifted to my ears. The notes played in no particular order, and with no kind of rhythm, but there was something pleasant about the sound.

I followed the sound, and before long I found myself standing before the source. A statue, half collapsed and looking like it had seen many years of neglect, sat against the cavern wall. It was difficult to make out the face, but the statue was taller than me, and had a pair of large horns. Despite the worn looks, there was something lifelike about it. I could almost believe it come alive at any second.

The sound was coming from drops of rain dripping on the statue. I looked up, there was a small hole in the ceiling of the cavern. The rain was falling through the hole, soaking the statue, each drop that hit the statue made a chiming sound that echoed through the chamber.

It was so lonely.

I took a deep breath as I felt a twinge of pain in my heart. There wasn't anything I could do for the statue. What was I event thinking? It was just a statue…statues didn't get lonely. Why did I even feel the need to care?

I turned away from the statue and set my feet once more down the path. In the next cavern there was a sigh even stranger than the statue. A bucket of umbrellas sat near the exit of the cavern. A little sign next to it is said to take one, and I smiled as I grabbed the handle of a red umbrella. I could see an exit to the cavern just ahead, and beyond, I could see heavy rain, a torrential flood that would have made the surface proud.

I popped it open and held it above my head. I looked up at the umbrella and frowned.

There was someone who needed this more, wasn't there?

I turned around, and returned to the cavern before this one.

"Hey," I heard Flowey behind me. "Where do you think you're going?"

"It'll be just a moment," I said. "I just have to do something first."

I backtracked, feeling a little odd as I returned to the statue. No one would thank me for this, but I still felt it was the fight thing to do. I stood before the statue, and Flowey popped up next to me. He stared at the statue as if he wished it would just crumble to dust.

I stepped forward and placed the open umbrella in the crook of the statue's arm. I angled it to block most of the rain, and then stepped back.

A smile stretched across my face, I couldn't help it. It was just a statue, but with the little, red umbrella in its arms, it didn't seem as lonely anymore.

The chiming caused the rain on the statue faded, but in its place, a sound more powerful, and far more poignant began to play. From within the depths of the statue, I could hear a melody. It was a simple music box melody, but it was clear and powerful, if a little melancholy. It was distorted by the statue that hid it, and the sound of the rain in the distance mixed with the music. I closed my eyes to listen. I could feel it filling me with D********tion.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Alright Flowey," I said as I looked down at the flower, "We can-"

I stopped. Flowey was staring at the statue, his stem hunched and his mouth agape. His petals trembled and drooped, and if it had been anyone but Flowey, I would have thought he was about to cry.

"Why…why every time?" he asked.

He shook slightly, as if being buffeted by a small breeze.

"Why can't you ever leave this be?"

"Flowey?" I asked.

"This was all supposed to be gone. They were supposed to be able to forget. I was supposed to be able to forget, but you never…let me."

I knelt down beside the flower. He looked at me. There was pain in his eyes, but it wasn't a pain he wanted anyone to touch. I reached out and embraced the flower. It wasn't much of a hug, I had to be careful not to crush him, but Flowey didn't resist like I expected him too.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't know what happened, but I'm so sorry."

Flowey shook himself loose. A snarl returned to his face.

"You? Sorry?" Flowey said. "There's no need for that. I don't need or want anyone's pity. Especially not yours. I-I'm happy like this. I wouldn't have it any other way. I told you before, just forget about me."

I didn't know what he was talking about, but if I had to guess, it had to do with the things I had forgotten. Still, Flowey thought I pitied him for something? I couldn't imagine what, but it must have been something painful to wreck Flowey like this. But he was wrong. You only pitied people in situations worse than your own, right? I didn't know what Flowey had been through, but I didn't have the ability to pity him.

"I don't…pity you," I said.

I stood up and turned away. There was a chill in my voice I didn't intend, but it was hard to be civil when Flowey had so easily touched against wounds that were still raw.

"Huh?" Flowey called out. "Frisk? What do you mean, what's wrong?"

I felt my shoulders hunch as I tried not to think about the things I didn't want to think about. Flowey continued to call out, but I didn't look back.


	17. Anticipation

-I'm going to believe it's real, no matter what you say-

-Enjoy-

* * *

I grabbed another umbrella from the bucket and ventured into the rain. I didn't see Flowey, but he was probably following out of sight. I hoped he wasn't mad at me. Maybe I should explain? I shook my head, no, explaining would probably just cause more problems. No one needed to know about the other things, especially Flowey, who already seemed like he was suffering.

"Hey, you got an umbrella!" someone called out.

I stopped and looked over to my left. The armless monster kid was standing in a small alcove, barely protected from the rain. She gave me a wide grin and without asking joined me under the umbrella. Already soaked through, the monster shivered next to me, but she was looking around with a glee that could only be matched by my favorite spaghetti-loving skeleton.

"Are you looking for Undyne too?" she asked.

"Uh…"

I wasn't sure how to answer that question, but the monster didn't wait for me to really say anything.

"Of course you are," she continued. "Undyne is so cool. She's a hero, you know, she only beats up the bad guys."

"The bad guys?" I asked. "Has she ever been…wrong?"

The monster looked at me, mouth agape as if she couldn't understand what I had just said. After a moment of stunned silence, she laughed, doubling over and cracking a smile at me. If she had arms, I was sure they would be clutching her sides.

"Of course not," she said. "Undyne never makes mistakes. She punishes all the bad guys and saves all the good guys. That's what makes her a hero."

"Oh," I said.

I looked away from the monster and back out into the rain. Why did it seem every monster I met was some kind of paragon of goodness? Even the kid following me and continuing to chatter about Undyne's amazing feats, which I tried to tune out, was nothing but a friendly bundle of cheer. She was already insisting we were friends.

Who knew making friends was so easy? All it took was leaving everything I knew behind, and falling into a world of monsters.

"Oh look," the monster kid's tone changed, becoming breathy and full of awe. "it's the castle."

She ran out from beneath the umbrella, well, she was already wet, more rain wouldn't be an issue for her. I followed behind her, more concerned with slipping on the wet ground than the view. Eventually I caught up with her and looked up at the scenery.

A castle of white and blue stood in the distance. It was surrounded by darkness, but the darkness was lit by thousands of crystals glimmering like stars in the night sky. I forgot to breathe for just a moment and I felt myself squirming inside. This scene was familiar, I knew I had seen it before, but even though I remembered that I remembered it, I didn't actually remember it.

I felt a small smile forming on my lips. The feelings I got when looking at the castle weren't all good, but, there was a warmth inside me I couldn't ignore. That castle was my end destination, it always was.

I looked over the monster kid. She was smiling as she looked up at the sky. How many times had we passed through here together? How many times had she told me about Undyne? How many times…

"Hey, what's wrong?" the monster asked.

I shook my head. There really wasn't anything wrong, was there? At least, nothing I could fix, and nothing I could even worry about. Why was I worrying about something I couldn't even remember? I took a deep breath and then smiled at the monster kid. She grinned back.

"Let's go," I said. "You…wouldn't want to miss seeing Undyne, would you?"

I turned away from the view of the castle and continued on in the rain. After a moment, the monster kid followed me. We continued on in silence, I wasn't interested in talking, and I the monster kid seemed to realize that. She kept looking up at me, a small frown on her face.

Eventually, we entered another cavern. There was another bucket filled with more umbrellas. I smiled at the sight and folded up my umbrella and put it into the bucket. What kind soul had left these here? And why? On the surface, would anyone have ever returned the umbrellas?

I looked up at the stone ceiling. Why were the monsters so set on returning to the surface? Did they really want to go up there? Who would even want to live with the humans?

I didn't.

The monster kid ran ahead as I lost myself, staring at the umbrellas. What was I even doing? Trying to escape the Underground? Just following along with what Sans and Flowey said? I didn't know anything other than the fact that I couldn't stop. Something inside myself was driving me to push on. No matter how bad things were, or how lost I was, I wouldn't -couldn't- stop.

"Frisk?" Flowey asked. "Are you…okay?"

The concern in Flowey's voice was more jarring than his sudden appearance beside the umbrella bucket. I looked at Flowey, the flower wasn't frowning, but his normal, sarcastic smile was gone.

"I'm fine," I said.

Why wouldn't I be?

I turned away from Flowey, but I could feel his gaze on my back. I ignored him and headed to where the monster kid was jumping about, trying to get my attention.

"Hey," she said as I approached.

She was standing in front of a wall of stone. The top of the wall was above both our heads, and even jumping I wouldn't be able to reach it. There was no way around the wall; I could see the path continued on top of it.

"Climb on top of me," the monster kid suggested as she saw my shoulders droop.

"What about you?" I asked.

The monster kid made a motion that was probably supposed to be a shrug, but without any arms or shoulders, it just looked like her body spasmed for a moment.

"I'll find another way around, I always do," she said with a bright smile.

"Thanks," I said as I smiled back.

With the monster kid's help, I scrambled to the top of the wall. It was a stretch even with her added height, but I managed to pull myself up to the top. I lay at the top for a moment, panting, and then peeked down over the side at the monster kid. She was staring up at me with a smile, made a small wiggling motion, and then dashed off, tripping only once before she was out of sight.

"Now that the annoying thing is gone, do you have something you need to say?" Flowey asked.

I rolled over and looked at him. He had popped up right next to my head and was leaning over me, his petals right in my face. I gasped and sat up, smacking my head on Flowey. It didn't hurt, he was just a flower after all, but I could see Flowey reeling from the impact.

"God…damnit," Flowey muttered as he shook himself and muttered some more impolite words.

He knew quite a lot of swears for a flower.

"Sorry," I said as I stood.

I looked around and tried to ignore Flowey as he began talking again. Why was he so hung up on this? Maybe if I started using puns he would go away? As before, there was really only one path to follow. The glowing Echo Flowers continued to sprout along the path. I scowled at the sight, and Flowey paused in his monologue when he saw the expression.

"There really is something wrong with you," he insisted.

"Nothing that wasn't wrong with me to begin with," I replied without looking at him.

"Frisk, you can't expect me to believe that," he said.

I looked down at the flower. Flowey was staring up at me, his expression stiff and his petals quivering. It was probably difficult for a flower to look stubborn, but that was definitely how I would have described him.

"How about this, you tell me what your issue with that statue and the song was all about, and I'll tell you about this," I said.

Flowey said nothing, well, I hadn't really expected him too. Without saying anything more, I turned my feet toward the path and began to follow it. It was quiet, even the sound of the running water seemed muffled. Maybe it was because of that, but when the metal clunking of armored feet reverberated through the cavern, it was clear and distinct.

Flowey and I both looked in the direction of the sound, and like a bloodhound smelling the scent of impending doom, Flowey's face split into his jagged smile as if he was baring his teeth.

The footsteps grew louder with each step.

"Frisk, run," Flowey snapped.

I didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

-Look, a real author's note for once. I thought I'd just say a few things down here, since I haven't been too chatty this entire time.

First of all, thank you so much for reading this far. We still have a ways to go, so I hope you hang in there for the rest of journey. If you have any questions, comments, more anything feel free to ask. And certainly if you catch any errors please do let me know; likewise if you have any suggestions on something I could have done better.

Second, I've been posting rather frequently up till now, but my pace will slow down from here on out. This project was originally just something to keep me from going crazy while I worked out the issues in another project of mine, and now that the project is back on track, I'll have less time for this. That said, I won't be abandoning this, and there should be at least a few chapters updated every week.

Thanks for reading!-


	18. Danger Mystery

-Things I can't bear to repeat, I still have to say them, don't I?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Undyne caught up to us at yet another bridge. I didn't want to cross the bridge, I had bad memories about the last one, but Flowey urged me on, throwing desperate glances behind us as he used his small body to practically push me forward.

I followed the path the bridge made, it was even more twisting and winding than the one before. Really, who had designed this nonsensical bridge? It seemed more interested in wasting wood than helping me arrive at the opposite shore. I caught glimpse of what looked like a second bridge below this one, and below that bridge was nothing but darkness and a long fall.

The sound of footsteps behind me stopped. I paused and looked back, though I had been able to hear her, I had yet to catch sight of Undyne. Flowey screeched at me to keep running, but I was more worried about where she was. What if she had gotten in front of me somehow? Sans could do that weird shortcut thing, I'd seen him do it a few times already, what if Undyne could do something like that too?

Glowing circles appeared on the planks of wood around me. They surrounded me, and I stared at them, a bad feeling settling in my stomach. They grew in size and the cyan light increased in intensity. That blue color, that was the same as Undyne's-

Spears shot up from each of the circles, piercing into the sky. They were taller than me, and razor sharp. The glowing spears faded after a moment, but more circles immediately appeared on the bridge, one of them right beneath me. I broke into a run; I did not want to get hit by those.

As soon as I moved out of the way, more spears shot up through the bridge. They disappeared, only to be replaced by more circles on the bridge. It was an unrelenting attack. I wove and dodged, sometimes having to back track just to get away from the attacks, but it never ceased. With each successful dodge, the attacks got faster and more vicious; Undyne was throwing out more spears, and her aim was getting better.

Where was she attacking from? I still couldn't hear her footsteps. The spears were coming from below, so maybe…

I wasted a precious moment looking over the edge of the bridge to the one below me. I could see the dark figure of Undyne standing on the bridge keeping pace with me above her. It was probably something I would have been impressed by in other circumstances, being able to aim at me when she could probably barely see me couldn't have been easy. But she was trying to kill me; I didn't really feel like applauding her.

I turned to run down one of the many branching paths of the bridge when Flowey popped up in the middle of the path, blocking my way. I opened my mouth to yell for him to move, but Flowey spoke first.

"This is a dead end," he said, holding his leaves out to make a point.

I stopped, and then had to jump backwards to avoid getting skewered by another spear. If Flowey knew that, it meant he either knew this area well, or he knew because I had died going down that path. It was possible Flowey was a well-traveled flower, but I had a feeling it was really the latter reason.

I continued to run, my lungs burning as I panted for breath and my legs aching from the strain. I hadn't gotten much rest since her last attack, and even before that, any time I had slept, it had been from fear and pressure, rather than from a chance to get a good rest. I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to keep this up.

Flowey kept shouting directions at me, blocking my way several times and sending me back the way I came. His movements were reckless, and more than once he was a hairsbreadth from losing a petal, or worse, to the spears.

Eventually, I turned down a direction he said nothing about. This was either the right way, or it was a way I hadn't tried and died on yet.

The bridge straightened out, and the spear attacks stopped. Everything looked great, for a moment.

"Oh no," Flowey said as we both caught sight of the dead end. "Not again."

I bit my lip. So it was my deaths that had given him such a thorough knowledge of the area. It was a little nice to know he had gotten something useful out of me dying, but not nice enough to make it worth what I was sure had been a painful death.

I stopped a few feet from the edge of the bridge and looked around. There was no choice, I'd have to go back. At least the attacks had stopped, maybe I could gain some ground before Undyne figured out where we were.

Footsteps echoed through the darkness. I spun around, looking in the direction I had come as a chill raced down my spine. As more footsteps rang through the air, I was able to make out the dark outline of an armor clad knight advancing on me.

Undyne had a spear in one hand, and she continued to wear her mask. I grimaced and held back a small cry of fear. This was just like my memory, the one where I died. The one where Undyne KILLED me. There were some differences, the bridge was longer, Undyne was further away from me than in the memory, and Flowey wasn't screaming at me this time. He was hunched over, looking at the bridge, silent. He…wasn't giving up on me, was he?

Different didn't mean better. It didn't mean things would change this time around. I couldn't fight Undyne, she was a hero, right? This wasn't just about being able to fight; I didn't even want to fight. I didn't…want to be the bad guy here.

I took a step backwards, and looked behind me. The bridge ended in nothing. There was only darkness below us. What kind of crazy builder made something like this? Was it a sick joke? Was it a trap?

Undyne said nothing, she just pointed her spear straight at me in a silent proclamation of my guilt. I didn't even know what she looked like, and yet, she was declaring me guilty for some kind of sin I hadn't committed.

"Hahaha…" I laughed with no power behind it. "I don't want to get stabbed again."

"You…remember that?" Flowey asked.

"Just enough to know it isn't something I want to repeat," I replied.

"You'll have to fight then," Flowey said. "You've gotten lucky so far, but Undyne isn't like the rest. It's kill or be killed, just like she said it was."

Flowey was talking about Toriel? He had been listening our conversation that time?

"I'm not…fighting," I said.

It wasn't as if I had never considered it, but back in the ruins, before I had even really consciously made the decision, I was already choosing not to fight. I wouldn't hurt them. I wouldn't hurt anyone ever again.

I took another step back. There was no more room to go back anymore. Another step and I would plummet into darkness.

"Then what do you want to do?" Flowey asked. "You can't get by her, you've tried, she's faster than you are."

"I guess I'll just have to try again, won't I?" I said as I smiled at Flowey.

Flowey's expression flickered from confusion to desperate realization in an instant, but it was already too late to stop me. Even as I spoke the words, I was already turning around. I stepped off the end of the bridge and into the darkness.

For the second time in far too short a time, I fell. But I didn't think this fall would end as nicely as the first.

* * *

-Well...I wasn't really planning on uploading today, but...I killed Sans today. So I guess this is in celebration of that? Or maybe it's just in memory of Sans?

I dunno, but I can feel my sins crawling back.-


	19. Chill

-It's not the fall that kills you-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Darkness, warm and heavy, hung over me. I didn't hurt anywhere, but I was content not moving. Breaking through the darkness, I heard a voice calling out. The voice was young, kind, and achingly familiar, but I didn't recognize it.

" _It sounds like it came from over here_."

Curiosity, young and brave.

" _Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you?"_

A voice full of concern. I couldn't respond, and I couldn't hear a response, but the voice waited, as if listening to someone, before continuing.

" _Are you okay? Here, get up."_

Another pause.

" _******, huh? That's a nice name."_

Whose name was that? Who was this voice actually talking to?

" _My name…is… –"_

* * *

I opened my eyes. A pair of dark eyes stared back into my own from only inches away.

"Flowey?" I asked as I stared up at what I was surely mistaking to be a concerned expression in my momentary confusion.

The flower flinched and then disappeared from view. I lay still for a moment longer and then sat up. I was surrounded by shallow water on sides; some kind of waterway? There was a nearby waterfall that rose high into the darkness of the Waterfall caverns. My eyes followed it up as high as I could see, but there was no beginning to the falls in in sight. I couldn't even see the bridge I had fallen from.

I was sitting on a patch of golden flowers. Buttercups, just like the ones I had seen in the ruins. Had they saved me from this fall too? I stroked the petals of one of the bright flowers. Why were they here? I hadn't seen any normal plants growing in Waterfall, everything so far had been glowing with the same luminescence of the crystals and the Echo Flowers, and this waterway didn't seem to be a great place for growing flowers either.

Flowey was near the edge of the flower bed, watching me as if he worried I might vanish at any moment. Our eyes met, and I lost the courage to say anything under his dark gaze.

"That was stupid," Flowey said. "You really are an idiot."

Flowey burrowed into the ground without another word, leaving me staring at the space he had occupied. What was I supposed to say to that anyway? He was right, jumping off the bridge had probably not been my best idea. But hey, I was alive, it had worked much better than I had expected.

I stood and took a moment to check my body for injuries. I was sore all over, and I could feel the muscles in my legs screaming at me. How long had I been out? Not long enough to recover from recent events, that was sure. Nothing was broken though, and I wasn't in any kind of severe pain; I decided to count that as a win.

The patch of flowers I stood on was surrounded by the slow moving water, but fortunately it was shallow enough even a shorty like myself would be able to wade through. That was probably good, I…wasn't really the best swimmer. It wasn't as if anyone had ever bothered to teach me.

The water was choked with junk and trash. I recognized a lot more it than I thought I would. A rusty bicycle, and old dvds of movies I knew of, but had never seen. Books, computers, old clothes; anything and everything ended up down here it would seem.

Trash was flowing into this small area from the waterfalls, and watching as the material objects, forgotten by the surface, got trapped amongst the rest of the trash. The sight stuck a chord within me, and I felt my chest filling with De*******ion.

I…wouldn't be forgotten like this. I wasn't something that could be just thrown away and forgotten about by the world above. Did the monsters feel like that too? Being stuck down here with no way to escape?

A SAVE point sat amongst the trash. I stared at it, debating whether or not to use it. If I didn't, would Flowey yell at me? Would I just have to go back through the fights with Undyne again? Would I…have to see Sans sacrifice himself for me again?

Sans. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I had tried not to think about him. He was…he was okay, right? He wouldn't die from something like that, right? He was strong, right?

I stretched my hand out to the light and SAVEd. There was no jolt of memory, no fear that took hold of my heart. Instead, an overwhelming pressure crushed down on my shoulders. I staggered under the invisible weight. This was a burden, a guilt I had to carry. I knew it was mine, but I didn't know why I was guilty. I held a hand to my chest and felt my pounding heartbeat.

What…was it? These things I couldn't remember? These things I should remember?

The beating of my heart settled, and though the phantom weight never left my shoulders, I turned away from the SAVE point.

"Flowey," I said.

I waited until the flower popped up in the midst of some nearby junk. He didn't look pleased about his placement, but other than giving it a distasteful snarl, he dealt with being stuck in trash fairly well. He looked at me, saying nothing.

"How many times did it take for me to get to this save point?" I asked.

Flowey frowned and looked away, his petals bent back, reminding me of a cat upset about something.

"Didn't Sans say you shouldn't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to?" Flowey said. "It's rare for him to give good advice, maybe you should listen."

"Then will you tell me this? Why do you and Sans always act like you haven't done things before?" I tried a different question.

"What do you mean?" Flowey asked.

Maybe my question hadn't been clear, but, since I didn't really know how remembering a reset worked, I wasn't sure how best to ask.

"Like when Undyne attacked, shouldn't you have known that was going to happen, why didn't you warn me or something, and why were you still surprised when you heard her?" I said.

"Who says I didn't try that?" Flowey replied with a sneer, "But…I think I get what you mean."

Flowey fell silent and swayed gently side to side. I was about to speak, but realized he was thinking. Was it that hard to answer?

"Long ago, someone told me about…umm I think they're called theme parks?" Flowey said as he scrunched up his petals.

"Theme parks?" I asked.

"Is that wrong?" Flowey asked.

"No, I mean…I know what those are, never been to one myself but…what does something like that have to so with memories?" I asked.

"Well…imagine one of those rides where you're on a track. No matter how many times you ride it, everything stays the same. The ride never changes. For most people, the people who don't remember between resets, every time is like that," Flowey said. "They will follow the rails without fail, never straying, and doing the same things over and over again unless someone who _does_ remember changes something. Left to its own devices, this timeline would play out the same way every time."

"So what does that have to do with people like you and Sans?" I asked.

"Getting people to jump the rails is hard," Flowey said. "It takes a lot of willpower to change what someone is going to do, it's much easier just to allow things to play out as they would normally. It only gets worse when you realize things could be reset at any time and all that effort is wasted."

"Is that why Sans…?"

I stepped away from the SAVE point and continued to pass through the junkyard. Flowey followed, popping up in different spots of the piles of junk to stay close to me. It would have been nice if he could just sit on my shoulder or something, but then again, I didn't know if I really wanted him that close to my face.

"Oh, so you have noticed," Flowey said. He tilted his head to the side and continued, "Yeah, that lazy trash is…probably the person affected the most by the resets. Before you came along, I had control of the resets, I haven't had to feel powerless like this for near as long as Sans. That's also why I can remember, but Sans never had that power. He puts in the minimal amount of effort he can, even when it comes to you, I think he's at the point where he feels it's easier to go along with you each time rather than try to get you to take a different course."

"It almost sounds like you feel bad for him," I said as I passed a tower of discarded movies. An anime case drifted by, it looked like something had torn at the corners in a desperate attempt to open it.

"Don't get me wrong," Flowey said as his mouth spread into a jagged grin, "I don't feel bad for anyone or anything." His pulled his petals back and the grin faded. "I can't. But more importantly, I hate that smiling piece of garbage more than anyone else in this suffocating world."

Flowey's words weren't as full of hatred as I had expected. I wasn't sure what the relationship was between those two, but it didn't seem as simple as Flowey wanted it to sound.

"So basically, what you're saying, is that it's too difficult to change this world? That no matter what I or anyone else does, we're going to end up doing the same things over and over again?" I asked as I stopped and looked down at my reflection in the water.

It was distorted by the movement of the water, but I could see the dark shadows under my eyes. My reflection blurred for just a moment, and I thought I saw something dark stirring behind me. I twisted to look over my shoulder, but there was nothing there. I frowned and looked back at Flowey, he said nothing about my jumpiness, maybe he hadn't noticed.

"That's what De********ion is for," Flowey said. "That's why it's so important. The person in the Underground with the most De********ion controls our fate. They're the only ones who have the strength to change everything."

"And that person is supposed to be me?" I asked as I started walking again.

Flowey said nothing, but I didn't look in his direction. I didn't want him to answer that question. I didn't even know why I had asked it. Flowey made it sound like I was supposed to be some kind of hero, but, if that was so, then why was I carrying all this guilt?

* * *

-Kind of a longer chapter today. I had to rewrite it pretty much completely when I looked back over it, but I think this conveys the point better. I should probably stop ending scenes on Frisk's introspective questions though, I feel like I do that pretty often. Lot's of Flowey this time, I guess he's just more chatty when Sans isn't around. Hopefully I kept him in character for the most part, I don't know, Flowey is weird and tricky to write. He's a manipulative jerk all the time, but he's pretty prone to giving out helpful information. It can make him tricky to write. He's also one of my favorite characters, so hopefully I'm doing him justice.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and see you soon!-


	20. Dummy!

-Don't give too much thought to these kinds of things-

-Enjoy-

* * *

"S-sssStOop RiGhtt Ther-rrE!"

The voice echoed amongst the debris scattered in the waterway. I was almost free of the water, I could see the exit just a short way in front of me, but that voice had been filled with some kind of righteous anger, and I just couldn't help but look back.

Emerging from the garbage, a stained and worn striking dummy was crawling its way towards me. It moved on one stubby leg, lurching forward like a drunk, and it's eyes, nothing more than pitch black buttons, spun with a madness brought on by hatred. Its head was shaped like a monster head, and the seam that wrapped around the muzzle had split, twisting and tearing until a jagged mouth opened wide enough for it to scream at me and laugh.

It cut off my path while stared at it, and then stood in my way, twitching as it watched me. The lumpy body of the dummy had a giant tear ins stomach. Stitches, loose and poorly done, showed where someone had tried to fix the dummy at some point, but after being neglected in the dump, the stitches had come undone, and the dummy's stomach was coming loose, the stuffing inside spilling out like blood as it wigged to and fro.

"YoU-howww d-daRe yoooUu," the dummy seethed. "You…wHy-ki-killed ThemMmmm."

It didn't seem to have a strong grasp on what it was saying. It twitched even more violently as it spoke, and its button eyes didn't seem to be seeing me.

"This is…different?" Flowey muttered as the dummy continued to dance around.

Different? If he was saying that…then…

"Don't tell me I died to this thing?" I asked.

Flowey just sighed. He popped up next to the dummy, and straightened his stem until he was as tall as he could get. His petals trembled as he extended them. He was trying to make himself look bigger I realized. Just like a cat.

"Hey," Flowey snapped. "Let us pass you stupid dummy."

The dummy twitched as it changed its focus to look at Flowey. Its mouth opened into a snarl and it bent over as if trying to devour the flower. Flowey made a squealing sound and dove underground, only to pop up behind me where he peeked around my legs and hissed at the dummy.

"That seemed very effective," I muttered.

"Shut up Frisk," Flowey snapped. "Let's see you survive one day as a flower."

"I can't seem to survive one day as a human," I replied.

The dummy hopped around, blocking my way with its violent movements. It continued to mutter at me, cursing and howling threats. I grimaced as I looked at it. It wasn't really a monster; it was a dummy right? Was I supposed to fight it?

"Excuse me," I called out, the dummy ignored me but I continued regardless, "won't you let us pass?"

The dummy continued to hop around as if I had never spoke. It didn't seem to be much for conversation. Nobody was happy about that.

"Talking to it won't work," Flowey said. "It's just a dummy, dummy."

He chuckled to himself. Was that supposed to have been a pun? Really? Flowey was using puns right now? Maybe Sans was rubbing off on him. It was probably best not to say that though.

The dummy made a screaming sound, as if it had chosen to take offense at Flowey's words. It hopped towards me, and a pair of miniature dummies popped up out of the water beside it. The little dummies began to emit fire, spitting it around in the air with reckless abandon. The flames came a little too close for comfort, but I jumped back just in time to avoid being roasted alive. The mad dummy wasn't quite as fortunate, the fire enveloped it for a moment before it screamed at its allies to stop.

The flames stopped, but the dummy continued to smolder. It hacked up stuffing from the fanged mouth in its body, choking and coughing as it continued to scream at me. I took a step back as the mad dummy turned on his allies. He bent down, his mouth open, and devoured the smaller dummies in a snapping mess of fluff and snarls.

"DoeSN'ttt w-wWoRkkk….n-nNevveeR wOOrkss," it said in between twitches.

I felt my mouth fall open as I watched the scene, and I could feel Flowey shiver beside me.

"Flowey," I said. "How…does this thing normally kill me?"

"I've never seen it do this before," Flowey replied. "As I said…this is…different."

I looked down at Flowey. He was watching the dummy with a morbid interest as if continued to tear apart the smaller dummies.

"You mean in the previous resets it wasn't like this?" I asked. "But, what about the rails and stuff?"

"Before, it kept trying to attack you with the dummies," Flowey said. "And you're right, it shouldn't be possible for it to change its behavior without one of us doing something first. And, if I didn't know it wasn't possible, I'd say this thing is even crazier than it was the first time you encountered it."

If everything Flowey had said was true, and really, there wasn't any way for me to know for sure, then there was only one explanation for the dummies growing madness

"Do you…think it can remember?" I asked.

Flowey stared at me as if I was the crazy one. He looked back at the dummy, his small mouth agape, and then looked back at me.

"I don't…know if that's possible," Flowey said.

The dummy hopped closer, and I took a stumbling step back. Smoke was still pouring out of its body, but if it was still burning inside, it didn't seem to care.

"Aren't you supposed to be some sort of expert on this?" I asked.

"I've always been able to remember; I don't know how a normal…thing…ends up being able to remember. Sa-the trash bag might know, but not me," Flowey replied.

"k-k-k-killlllllllL yyouUUu," the dummy said.

There was a scraping sound of metal against metal, and then something shot past my head, stirring my hair with its passing. It stopped beside the dummy and floated beside its head, I shivered as I saw the silvery knife, gleaming tip pointed towards my heart.

"Maybe we should talk about this later," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

I eyed the silver of the blade. Other than Undyne's glowing spears, this was the first real weapon I had seen here. It wasn't magic, it was nothing but pure steel, clearly a human made weapon. I shivered at the sight. Knives…weren't really my thing.

The knife slowly spun in the air. I couldn't tear my gaze from it. I tried to steady my breathing, but my chest was pumping, taking in too little oxygen for the effort I was making.

"-isk, Frisk!"

I felt something ram the back of my legs and I staggered forward. I glanced down at Flowey, he was looking up at me, a scowl on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "Stay focused."

The knife shot forward, arcing through the air to pierce through where my heart was. Flowey ran into my legs again, just in time and knocked me to the ground moments before the knife reached me. The blade sailed over my head, missing me by mere inches.

The dummy howled its anger at me, and I looked to see where the knife had gone. To my horror, I saw a glint of steel in the distance. The knife was coming back. I pushed myself to the ground, hiding under the water, and the knife passed right above me. As I surface, Flowey made a hissing noise to let me know the attack wasn't over.

I scanned the waterway, trying to find the knife hidden in the darkness. My eyes caught sight of the blade, but by then it was too late, the knife was too close and too well aimed. I closed my eyes, expecting at any moment to feel it piercing my chest.

But nothing happened.

I opened my eyes. The knife was sinking into the water, the attack stopped by the oversized bone that had shot up out of the ground in front of me.

"Sans?" I shouted as a shadowy figured appeared behind the dummy.

* * *

-Ugh, this one was a pain to write. I personally find the mad dummy to be just about the most disturbing thing in the game (yeah, Omega Flowey has nothing on the dummy) so I wanted to make the dummy just as creepy as I imagined it. Hopefully that worked out.

And I think we've been sans a skeleton long enough, don't you? Welp, see you next chapter-


	21. Bird and a Disproportionately Small Gap

-Because sometimes, we just need a smile.-

-Enjoy-

* * *

"NYEHEHEHEHEHE, Not Sans, It Is I, The Great Papyrus," the shadow cried out.

The shadow drew closer, and I recognized the tall, thin frame of Sans's brother.

"P-Papyrus?" Flowy muttered. "Why is he here?"

"Hello Human, I Have Come To Save You." Papyrus continued, striking a pose as he spoke. He then broke the pose and frowned. "I Am Sorry I Am Not Sans."

"Huh?" he was worried about that? "No, Papyrus, it's great to see you."

A hissing sound filled the air, and both Papyrus and I looked at the dummy, it was shaking to and fro, spitting curses into the air at Papyrus. Papyrus's cheekbones flushed, orange likes his eyes, and he shook a finger at the dummy.

"What Kind Of Language Is That?" Papyrus asked. "Certainly Not Appropriate With A Child Around."

The dummy screeched something obscene, well, it sounded obscene, but it was difficult to tell, what with the screeching. Papyrus tisked at the dummy and shook his head.

"I Did Warn You," he said.

Papyrus smiled, and seven bones shot up out of the water, trapping the dummy in a pyramid shaped prison. The dummy twitched within the confines, but it's stuffing filled body simply didn't have the power to break the bones. It coughed fluff about the place, and then subsided into dark muttering I was careful not to listen too closely to.

"Stay In There And Gather Your Wits," Papyrus said.

Flowey chucked. Wait…was that a pun?

"Human, Are You Alright?" Papyrus asked as he walked around the dummy's prison.

He grabbed me without warning and picked me up. Papyrus squeezed me in a tight hug and then set me down after a moment. I smiled and gave him a nod. He was the last person I had expected to see, and though I was happy enough to see him, seeing his face just reminded me that much more of his brother.

"Papyrus, I…Sans…he," I stumbled through the words and looked down.

Papyrus rested his hand on my head. I could feel the hard bones beneath his glove, but much like his brother, Papyrus was warm.

"Sans is waiting for you," Papyrus said, his voice softer than normal. "He Thought You Might Be In Trouble, So He Called Upon The Great Papyrus To Save You."

Papyrus placed his hands on his hips and posed. I was sure I could see some kind of sparkles in the air around him. I giggled, and Papyrus smiled back at me.

"He's alright then?" I asked.

"Well," the joy in Papyrus's eyes dimmed ever so slightly, "he is…okay. He's resting right now. But He Will Be Fine."

"Papyrus," Flowey spoke up, surprising me. I had expected him to go into hiding as soon as Papyrus got close.

"Ah, Flower Friend Flowey, I Was Wondering Where You Went To. You Have Been Taking Care Of The Human? Good Job," Papyrus said.

Flowey grimaced, but didn't tell Papyrus otherwise.

"You two…know each other?" I asked.

"Yes, Flowey Is My Biggest Fan," Papyrus said with a gleaming smile.

"Oh, is that…so?" I asked as I looked down at Flowey.

The flower was carefully looking away from me, and I could see him shaking ever so slightly. Was he laughing? Or angry? Still, that was one unlikely pairing. How had they even met each other?

"Papyrus," Flowey said again. "Did you see a ghost around here?"

"Hmm? Yes, Napstablook Lives Just Up Ahead. He Is Undyne's Neighbor," Papyrus said. "He Heard Something Down Here And Wanted To Check, But He Was Very Nervous. So The Great Papyrus Volunteered To Check."

Flowey was frowning, his small brow filled with wrinkles.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"You said Sans asked you to find us?" Flowey asked and Papyrus nodded.

"Flowey?" I asked.

"It's nothing. It's just…after the strange way the dummy was acting, I wanted to make sure Papyrus and the ghost weren't being weird too, but if Sans asked Papyrus to do something, then I'm sure Papyrus would do it without a second thought," Flowey said, as if trying to reason away his worries.

"Is this about that 'rails' thing you talked about earlier?" I asked as Papyrus declared that he would absolutely help Sans in his time of need.

Flowey nodded. "The dummy got stranger each time you fought him. What if the same thing is happening to others?"

"We should probably ask Sans, right?" I asked.

Flowey nodded, but his expression was still uneasy. He wasn't meeting my eyes, and instead looked at his reflection in the water below him.

Maybe it was because I couldn't remember, but I didn't think it was something to be so concerned about. So what if one monster was acting odd? In my opinion they were all odd. Some of them more so than others, but still all odd.

"Here, I Shall Take You To Sans," Papyrus said. "I Think He Will Be Happy To See You, My Brother Seems Rather Fond Of You, Human."

Papyrus reached out and picked me up once again. Before I could protest, or say anything whatsoever, he lifted me up and set me on his shoulders. I giggled as I enjoyed the view, Papyrus was so tall, it was like seeing the world from another angle. I had always enjoyed riding on his shoulders.

I shook my head. What was I thinking? This was the first time I had sat here, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

* * *

-I wrote the last scene to this story the other day. I still have to write the remaining scenes in between, but the journey has a clear destination now. I'm not really sure how much longer this will be. I figure this is about halfway? Maybe a little more. But you know...the best is yet to come.

(also that chapter title...you know "Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap" doesn't fit in the title box...)

See ya-


	22. Temmie Village

-Sometimes the things you want aren't the things you need.-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Sans was resting in a place called "Temmie Village." I had seen a lot of weird things in the Underground, but nothing beat this place. It wasn't even really a village, just a cave with the monsters knows as Temmies standing around. A large painting of a Temmie riding a dragon had been hung up on the cave walls, the painting itself wasn't all that bad actually, but it was hung up crooked. There was also a huge statue of a Temmie by the name of Tem, a fairly common name in these parts, from what I understood. The statue of Tem looked like every other Temmie hanging around in the cave.

They were kind of adorable, in an awkward unsure sort of way. Like they weren't quite sure if they were supposed to be a cat or…something else.

Also, they made me sneeze. A lot. I quickly resolved not to touch them, despite wanting to scratch their fluffy ears.

Sans was sitting in a corner of the cave, well away from all but one of the Temmies, who seemed to have broken out in hives, and rather creepy mushroom.

The moment I saw him, I started squirming on Papyrus's shoulders until he let me down. My feet touched the ground and I dashed across the cavern floor.

"Sans," I yelled.

The skeleton was startled but looked up just in time to react to me leaping into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his chest and buried my head in his blue hoodie. I could feel my shoulders shaking, but I wasn't crying. I wasn't.

"Ah, hey kid," Sans said with a small groan.

I felt him patting my back with an awkward touch.

"What took ya so long?" he asked. "You take the scenic route or something?

I looked up at his face. Sans's smile was spread across his face, and I could see a glimmer of good humor in his eyes.

"I thought you were-" I said, my voice muffled by the jacket. "I thought…are you alright?"

I felt Sans's hand switch from my back to my head. He stroked my hair for a moment and then grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back to look me in the face.

"I'm fine, just a rough ride through the river, and then then…well, I've been here for a while," Sans looked at the Temmies and grimaced. "But I'm not goin anywhere, kiddo. We'll see this to the end together."

Flowey popped up near Sans. He huddled beside the skeleton, casting an occasional nervous look in the direction of the Temmies. Papyrus was keeping his distance, he seemed fascinated with the Temmies, and they were equally fascinated with him, or with his red scarf, it was tough to say.

"Hey trashbag," Flowey snapped. "I have something to ask you."

"Is that anyway to ask for a favor?" Sans asked as help me settle into a position where I was sitting between his feet and leaning against his chest.

He had no heartbeat, but he was softer than I thought.

Flowey's mouth split into a snarl.

"Ah, fine, let me ear it, you know how much I lobe helping talking flowers," Sans said.

Flowey looked down at the ground as if contemplating giving up. Eventually he looked up, a strained smile on his face, and began speaking as if he wanted nothing more than to scream at the skeleton.

"How did you find out about and remember resets?" Flowey asked.

I felt a small jerk from Sans and looked up at his face. Upside down, his smile looked more like a scowl, an expression probably suited to the pinched wrinkles between his eye-sockets.

"That was…a long time ago," Sans said. "Not sure I really remember. Why the sodden interest? Water you planning?"

Flowey trembled, growling a little. I was impressed with his self-restraint, maybe I should help him out a bit?

"We ran into a…mad dummy," I said. "Flowey said the more I fought it, the stranger it began to act. He said it was as if the dummy began to remember."

"Hey flower, did the kid die to that thing a lot?" Sans asked.

Flowey's head bobbed. "Yeah. Since Frisk can't remember the fights, the dummy was able to keep winning the same way, over and over again. Until it didn't. It was as if it realized it wasn't winning, even when it won."

Sans sighed. "I know that feeling," he mumbled.

"So that's why I wanted to know," Flowey said. "How did you remember?"

"Well, far as I can tell, remembering resets is tied directly into interacting with the kid. Since the kid is the only thing in the Underground that really _changes_ from reset to reset, the more you hang around the kid, the more likely you'll notice something is… off. Then once you notice that, it's just a matter of time," Sans explained. "Though, tibia honest, I'd never heard of it happening to anyone else."

"You always met Frisk first, before anyone else once Frisk left the ruins. Not to mention meeting the kid several times after that. So, is that why you were influenced the most?" Flowey asked.

"But," I began and then shut my mouth. I didn't really understand this. Should I actually say anything?"

"Huh, don't just clam up, kid," Sans said. "Let's sea what you've got to say."

"Toriel," I said. "I met Toriel first, and I spent a long time with her, wouldn't she remember before Sans?"

Flowey frowned, and Sans shrugged.

"Well, you see, I already knew about the resets even before I met you," Sans said. "So, the process happened faster to me than it would to anyone else, which is probably why it hasn't happened to anyone else, until now. But, I can't imagine Torie killing you enough times for it to really affect her."

"I've always wondered about that," Flowey said. "How does a lazy bag of- how does someone like you know about something like the resets and SAVEs on such a detailed level?"

"Oh, I did some studying on the subject back in the day. I knew the expert on the matter. One W.D Gaster, course, no one knows _him_ anymore," Sans said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"There was an accident, a messy one. He ended up being forgotten, by almost everyone. Scattered across time and space, so they say," Sans said.

"They?" Flowey asked.

"His assistants, sometimes, you'll find pieces of them here and there. Stuck to one certain point of time. They aren't quite all…there," Sans said.

"So why do you remember him?" Flowey asked.

"Just unlucky I guess," Sans said.

His pupils vanished, leaving nothing but empty sockets. The darkness hiding there was lonely and cold, and I wanted to ask what had made him look that way, but I wasn't sure I was ready to carry someone else's burden, I could barely carry my own.

"Gotta say kid, you look like you've been through the wringer," Sans said. "I know we're in a hurry and all, but why don't you SAVE and then take a bit of rest?"

"Won't Undyne find us here?" I asked.

"Nah, she's not a fin of Temmies. We're safe enough here."

I glanced back at Papyrus, he was keeping a close eye on the both of us, but I could see an extra level of care in the looks he sent his brother. I wasn't jealous, but I wondered, what was it like to have a family you cared about? A family who cared about you?

There was a SAVE point nearby. I stared at it for a moment, dreading the inevitable. For just a moment, I imagined not having to SAVE, not having to worry about the resets or dying. Not having to wonder why Sans sometimes looked at me like I was dangerous. I SAVEd, and, ignoring the increasing guilt in my chest, I turned back to Sans.

The world around me began to spun. I put a hand up to my head. Why did SAVEing always make me feel like I was about to pass out?

I walked back over to Sans, sat beside him, leaned my head against his shoulder, and for the first time in far too long, slept a natural sleep.

I could've done without the dreams though.

* * *

-Poor Flowey, I just love subjecting him to Sans's puns. The puns are, by the way, the hardest thing to write. I actually really like them, but...I'm also really bad a them. Also Papyrus + Temmies= cutest thing ever.-


	23. MEGALOVANIA

-Who are you in the dark?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Golden light streamed through the stained glass, dying the hall in the light of a sun that didn't exist in the Underground. If this was the surface, there would be birds singing outside, greeting the sun, and chirping to the golden flowers. There were no birds here, and really, there was nothing but silence in the golden warmth of the hall. On days like this…

"Kids like you-,"

There was dust everywhere.

Nothing but dust.

It covered my clothes, it covered my hands. It covered the knife held tight in my fingers. I could feel the smooth grit on my face. It was in my mouth, and in my teeth.

I licked my lips, relishing the flavor.

"-should be burning in hell," Sans was saying. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck, the end draping down the front of his blue hoodie like a trail of blood.

A weight tugged at my soul returning my thoughts to the present. I fell to the floor as Sans sent an onslaught of bones in my direction. I knew how to move, how to dodge. I had seen this so many times before. Sans was strong, but he was getting predictable. Why wouldn't he change it up?

Maybe he thought he didn't need to. As Sans watched, his left eye flashing the colors of justice and patience, a single bone struck my right shoulder. The damage wasn't great, but a chill began to spread from my shoulder, reaching down my arm and across my chest. I stumbled and his next attack hit my left leg, a laser fired from the mouths of his blasters. Gasterblasters, he had called them once. Like my arm, my leg began to turn cold and numb.

Sans was predictable, but that didn't mean he was easy. This round was a failure too.

"You never get used to it, do you?" Sans asked.

I glared at Sans. He had given up his charade several resets back; stopped pretending he didn't remember anything after I restarted everything. He had changed the things he said, but his attacks were still the same. Always the same.

"Get used to what?" I asked as I began to lose feeling in my leg.

"Karma," Sans replied, his smile tight and stiff.

"You saying I deserve this?" I asked.

"You saying you don't?" Sans asked.

I leapt forward, a little clumsy on my numb leg and slashed at Sans, but he dodged to the side as if he had seen the attack at thousand times. Well, it was something close to that, wasn't it?

Sans sent more bones in my direction, and I jumped over them, feeling the weight on my soul as he did the best he could to drag me down.

"Can't you come up with something better?" I asked once I was through the attack.

"What about you, kid?" Sans replied. "Aren't you sick of this yet? What happened to the sweet kid I used to know?"

I frowned. I didn't like talking about the past. I didn't like remembering. I scowled at Sans. I had made my choices. I wasn't going to go back now, not after all this time.

"Just shut up," I muttered.

I stabbed towards his chest, but Sans stepped back, dodging with more nimbleness than his large body should have allowed. Ugh, it was so irritating. Why did he always insist on standing in my way? If he wasn't going to stop me in the beginning, then why even bother fighting me now, when everyone he loved was already dead?

Well, there really was no understanding Sans. There was only fighting him, killing him, and then resetting and doing it all over again. It was the only thing I cared about anymore. The only thing…that mattered.

I felt my fingers gripping the knife twitch. The…only thing?

No, hadn't there been something else? Hadn't there been…something I wanted? Something I wanted so badly I had…

I smirked. What was I thinking? None of that mattered. All that mattered was that Sans was standing before me, ready to attack. Sans would be dust soon enough, and until then, it was only right that I give him my full attention. A toy like Sans broke so easily after all, and I didn't want to waste the time I had with him.

"What's the smile for?" Sans asked.

"Just wondering how best to kill you this time," I said.

Sans's smile stretched wider.

"Not this time," he said.

I heard the sound of a blaster behind me, the glow from the charging beam illuminating my surroundings. Damn, when had he put that there? I'd let myself get distracted.

"I've told you this before kid," Sans said. "But if we're really friends, you won't come back."

Friends?

The beam of the Gasterblaster tore through my body and I fell to my knees. I could feel my soul shaking, trembling, and then I could feel it shatter. As the world around me became dark, I saw Sans standing before me. He was smiling. He was always smiling, but that wasn't stopping the tears running down his face.

Friends? We had been friends once, but that…was so long ago. Sans was still holding onto that memory? He hadn't given up on me? Even I had given up on me. Even I had let myself forget. God, he was such a fool.

I closed my eyes and died.

When I opened them, as always, I found myself standing in the void. There was almost nothing here. No sound, no light, no darkness either. It was an empty place, or maybe it wasn't even a place. The void was everything and nothing, the space between the timelines, the space that existed before and after I made my choices. I hated this lonely place. This nothing that tried to seep into my soul.

There were only three things other than myself here. Two choices, and a child.

RESET CONTINUE

The child stood between them. Watching me. Always watching me. Red eyes and a small smile.

"It's up to you, Frisk," a haunting voice reached my ears. "But, do you really think you can ever be forgiven?"

* * *

-Well this was fun to write.-


	24. Pathetic House

-Everyone has their own problems-

-Enjoy-

* * *

I woke screaming. The world around me was dark. Even the stars above had grown dim and distant, casting my surroundings in a gentle blue.

My screaming stopped, and I looked around, the golden hall was gone. This wasn't the void either. This was just the Temmie cavern. No one moved around me, was everyone sleeping? I sat still for a moment, crossing my arms and gasping for breath. I could still feel it, coating my body, staining my hands white. The dust was everywhere, but try as I might, I couldn't get it off. I scrubbed at my skin with a furious motion, dragging my hands across my face with ever increasing violence to my movements, Why, why couldn't I shake this feeling? Why wouldn't it go away?

"No, no, no," I shouted, crying and choking as I continued to tear away at the dust I could feel, tearing my skin in the process.

A pair of hands, thin and bony grabbed me and picked me up. Sans wrapped his arms around me and hugged me, pinning my arms to my side so I couldn't move them.

He looked straight into my face, his expression lost and confused. I could see him trying to understand my agitation. Trying, and failing.

"Kid," he said as he pressed me close once again, one hand against my head in a comforting hold. "What's wrong? What happened?"

I opened my mouth to reply. But nothing came out. I knew what that dream meant, it was clear, though all the gruesome memories were still hidden from me. How was I supposed to say that to Sans? How was I supposed to...?

"Frisk?" there was fear in his voice.

I forced myself to relax. I took a deep breath and silenced my sobs. When had I begun to cry? I didn't want to be strong here, but, it wasn't fair to Sans if I cried. It wasn't fair to anyone if I tried to feel bad for myself.

"I'm okay," I said meekly. But I wasn't, I just meant I wouldn't start screaming again at any second.

Sans held on for a moment longer and then set me down. His smile was taut, barely any good humor left in it. The white lights in his eyes flicked down to my hands and he flinched.

"Ah, jeez, kid," he said as he reached out to take my hand. "You're bleeding."

I looked at my hand in his. The tips of my fingers were broken and bleeding, the fingernails bent and twisted. A small part of me wondered why it didn't hurt, but for the most part, I was just glad it was blood on my hands. Blood, not dust.

"Ah, you have blood on your face too," Sans said as he looked up at my face. "What did you do this for?"

"They're dirty," I said.

The dust. I could still feel it, between my fingers and seeping into the skin. It was there, even if I couldn't see it.

"Well of course they are," Sans said. "Covered in blood like this. If you want to be a skeleton, no need to tear your skin off," Sans said. "just gotta be patient for that one."

It was a poor attempt at a joke, and I wasn't inclined to laugh. Sans didn't hold it against me.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," he said. "Somewhere we won't disturb anyone."

I looked around. We weren't alone, but Sans was the only one I had woken with my screaming. The Temmies were sleeping in a massive pile, and from the middle of the pile, I could hear Papyrus's snoring, an occasional "nye he heeeh" echoed through the cavern. Flowey was nowhere to be seen. Not that I would expect the flower to stick around for something like this.

"I know a shortcut," Sans said.

His eye flickered pale blue.

And then we were standing beside a serene lake of glowing water. A luminous tree sat at the edge of the water, roots dipping into the lake. It was beautiful, but it wasn't enough to distract from the dream. Sans led me to the water's edge, and helped me dip my hands in the lake. I watched as the blood from my hands swirled in the water before vanishing.

"This lake has something in it that helps monsters heal," Sans said. "Don't know if it'll help a human, but it can't hurt. I…used to come here a lot."

I probably should have asked, but I was distracted, too caught up in my own pain to understand the implication in Sans's words.

As I removed my hands from the glowing water, I realized Sans was holding something in his hands. Gauze? Or some kind of bundle of white fabric? Why would Sans have something like that? Where had he gotten it from? Sans saw my flicker of confusion and he chuckled.

"What can I say kid, iliac being prepared. Paps insists I be ready for a-knee-thing," Sans said, but when it didn't get the expected chuckle out of me, he sighed.

Sans began wrapping the fabric, bandages I decided, around my hands with a practiced hand.

"So, what's was that all about?" he asked. "You've had bad dreams before, I've heard them, but you've never done that before."

"It's the dust," I said, shuddering. "I can feel it everywhere."

Sans's hands stopped for only just a moment, and then he began wrapping again.

"Sounds like a really bad nightmare," Sans said.

"I was standing in a golden hall," I said. "There wasn't anyone. There wasn't anyone anywhere. Just their dust, and in front of me...was...it was...y-y."

I couldn't finish. I wanted to pull my arms back to hold myself, to make sure I was really here, but Sans held my hands in a strong grip.

"Sans...it wasn't just nightmare was it?" I said. "I-I k-killed...everyone..."

Sans was silent. It was enough of an answer.

"Why would I do something like that?" I asked. "All those monsters, my friends...why?"

I was looking down, more tears falling form my face onto the floor of the cave, and I couldn't see the expression on Sans's face, but I felt his hands tighten around mine, his phalanx digging into my skin for only a moment.

"I always...figured you had a good reason," Sans said. "I didn't know what it was. I had to believe that when you got what you wanted you would stop. That you would give us our happy ending again."

"I did it more than once?" I asked, unable to look at Sans.

"Yeah," Sans said. "I've lost count of how many times we've fought. How many times I won, and how many times I've lost."

"Sans, I-I"

"Don't," Sans said. "It's not something you can ever apologize for. So don't bother trying." He took a deep breath and tied off the bandages on my hands. "When it became too much, I decided to give you one last chance. One more time to prove the kid I had cared for was still deep inside the demon that tormented us."

Sans let go of my hands. I lowered them to my side and looked up at his face. His eyes were pitch black, but when he realized I was looking, the white lights of his pupils flickered back into existence.

"You didn't fail me kid," Sans said. "You saved us all that time. Didn't hurt so much as a fly. And then, you didn't reset. It was years. You had grown so much, we were...family. But then, well, maybe you can understand why I was so upset when I woke up one day and found us back here, trapped."

"We were a family?" I asked. "Like...a real family?"

"Huh?" Sans asked. "Well, Torie adopted you legally, but there wasn't a single monster who didn't love you."

Family? I had had...a family? I bit my lip and fought back tears. I had always thought I didn't want to remember, and sometimes I thought maybe that was for the best, but a family? If I was honest with myself, a family was all I had ever wanted.

* * *

-Fun Fact: This is the first time I've featured what is essentially an original to this story location.

Also, I try to avoid asking for direct feedback on things, but as POV is something I'm working on I just have to ask. Now that this chapter puts the previous chapter in context, does the Frisk from the MEGALOVANIA chapter feel different than the Frisk in this chapter? If I did it right, that should be the case. This project is mostly just for fun, but I might as well work on my weaknesses while I'm at it XD.-

-See ya!-


	25. Tem Shop

-He's just getting worse.-

-Enjoy-

* * *

"So, Undyne."

The words, spoken by Sans but thought by everyone, hung in the air.

After my late night panic attack, Sans had coaxed me back to sleep with a bed time story. I can't say I was too interested in the Adventures of Fluffy Bunny, but the way Sans read it, giving each character a heart and soul, was soothing and comforting. I tried to avoid wondering why he knew the story by heart.

In the morning, Papyrus had taken one look at the bandages on my hands and scooped me into a great hug. He didn't ask questions. It wasn't that he cared, but he that he understood. It was something I couldn't talk about now, not in the light of what passed for day in the Underground.

Flowey had snarled at the bandages. He didn't say anything though, so I wasn't sure what it was that bothered him. The fact that I was injured? Or the fact that someone, I was sure Flowey would realize it was Sans, had helped me?

When that bit of awkwardness was out of the way, Sans gathered everyone together. Even the Temmies, completely unbidden, but overly curious, gathered around. I edged away from them, not liking the way they made my skin itch.

"I'm sure she won't let us just shamble out of here," Sans said. "We need to get passed her so we can get to Alphys in Hotland."

Oh right, Alphys. I had forgotten we were even trying to get to her. Something about finding out what had happened to that thing I was supposed to have but didn't have any more. It didn't make my head spin thinking about it, nope not at all. Then again, hearing that a monster scientist was supposed to solve all my problems was not the weirdest thing I had heard in the last few days. Close to the top of the list, but I didn't think it actually beat out murderous, talking flower.

"I Am Sure Undyne Will See Reason If You Just Talk To Her," Papyrus said. "She Is Very Nice."

Papyrus said the words with firm belief, but at some point in the minute since everyone had gathered, a Temmie had clambered up his frame to hang off his shoulders. It was hard to take anyone seriously with a Temmie hanging from their shoulders like a small, living, and sometimes squirming, cape.

"She hasn't seemed very reasonable so far," I said.

To be fair," Flowey said, "the only things you've said to her are really bad puns."

"Ah, don't tell me you thought those puns were rotten," Sans said. "I thought they were quite pun-gent."

"Aaaanywaaay," Flowey said through clenched teeth. "Though I don't think talking is really the best option, if you want that...hermit, you call a Royal Scientist to help us we should avoid hurting the fish."

"Why?" I asked.

"They have a thing together," Sans replied. "Or, they will have a thing together. Alphys hasn't quite...risen to the idea."

I didn't really get it what he was talking about, but it probably wasn't that important. Papyrus was looking at Flowey and his brother, just as confused as I was,

"How do I get her to listen though?" I asked. "She wouldn't listen to Papyrus. Why would she listen to me?"

Papyrus frowned, looking at me with worried eyes. He hadn't believed in me either, now that I thought about it, and he was really, really nice. Why would Undyne, the dedicated captain of the royal guard,

ever stop to listen to me?

"I don't think she'll listen if we just talk," Sans said with a lazy shrug. "Undyne is fiercely loyal to King Asgore. It would take a lot to get her to ignore his orders. And I don't think we have that kind of time."

"So what do we do?" Flowey asked. "You can't honestly think we should fight her?"

"We just need to stall her. Once we get into Hotland, Undyne should think twice about chasing us," Sans said, "I don't think that'll stop her for good, but if we can convince Alphys to help us, we may be able to use her to stop Undyne."

Papyrus squirmed a little and then picked the Temmie of his shoulders and set her (him?) on the ground before sidling up next to Sans. He began to whisper to his brother, too quiet to hear from where I stood, and Sans looked up at his brother in surprise.

As the two continued their whispered conversation, I looked down at Flowey.

He was scowling again, looking down at the ground.

"You don't like this plan?" I asked.

"I don't like relying on Alphys," Flowey muttered.

"Why?"

"Why? Because that spineless, little lizard is the cause of all my problems. She...she..." a wordless snarl ended his complaint, and I realized he was too angry to even speak.

Flowey stared up at me, his mouth a thin line. His dark eyes seemed to will me to understand. But I didn't. Maybe the old me, the one who had remembered things had understood. But not this me. This me was helpless and useless. I could tell Flowey wanted help, but I couldn't give it. I had never been able to give him the help he needed.

"I guess, it doesn't matter anymore anyway," Flowey muttered when he realized I wasn't going to say anything.

"Heh, Paps, that ain't a bad idea, and Undyne might be brainless enough to fall for that," Sans's voice interrupted us.

"Sans, please," Papyrus replied in a tired voice.

"Listen up kiddo," Sans said.

He put his hands into his jacket pockets, and his smile widened. Beside him, Papyrus was almost bouncing with excitement. Was this, really that great of an idea?

"We Have A Plan," Papyrus declared, raising his hand pointing one finger in the air for dramatic affect.

Sans grinned at me.

"That Undying fish won't know what bit her," Sans said, keeping one eye-socket on his brother's face as it began to contort.

"Saaaannnnsss!"

* * *

-That was a longer break between chapters than I intended. oops. I don't have a schedule for this, since it's my side-project, but hey, still getting stuff done for it, so yeah. When I went back over this chapter before posting, I realized it was only about 600 words long, which is waaaay too short. Guess I was being lazy when I wrote this originally.-

-Oh, also, some of you may have noticed I changed the title for the last chapter. That's because I was being stupid and gave that chapter the name of the chapter I was actually writing at the time I posted it. So yeah-


	26. NGAHHH!

-The best laid plans-

-Enjoy-

* * *

She made a grand entrance.

It was really cool.

It was only when Flowey snapped at me to pay attention that I realized I was gapping. I couldn't help it though, the eye patch, the red hair, and fearless grin? No wonder the monster kid had been so excited to see Undyne, she was awesome personified as a spear wildling hero.

"So you've come, human," Undyne said as she stood on a peak high above me.

According to Flowey, Hotland was just on the other side of the mountain. A cave led directly through the mountain, so it wouldn't even be long journey. I just had to make it through without dying.

That was the real goal. No dying. Flowey didn't think it was possible, and he had said so several times after Sans had revealed the plan. I agreed, I honestly couldn't imagine getting passed Undyne in one try, but I was going to try.

I was filled with DETER***TION.

"No more running," Undyne snarled. "Stand your ground."

"Umm…okay?" I said.

That was right…right?

Sans and Papyrus had told me what to say. Or rather, Sans had told me what to say, and Papyrus had made sure there weren't any puns included. That was probably for the best if I wanted to get out of this alive.

"Don't even think- what?" Undyne began to shout again, but as soon as she registered my words, she faltered.

"Um, I won't run?" I said.

"This idea is so stupid," Flowey muttered from beneath the ground at my feet.

I made a sound I could only describe as squeamish agreement. It wasn't loud enough for Undyne to hear though.

"You won't run?" Undyne asked.

Her shoulders slumped, and I could see a scowl on her face. She leapt off the mountain peak and landed on the ground in front of me with a casual grace that was more terrifying than even the weapon in her hand.

I shook my head, holding my ground, even though I really wanted nothing more to do than run. Sans had been explicit though. Don't run. Don't even turn your back on her.

"Oh, I see," Undyne said, at a loss. "Well, that's…awfully brave of you, human. I didn't expect…"

Undyne looked around, and the butt of the spear in her hand rested against the ground.

"King Asgore said you were a coward," she said in a soft voice.

She looked back at me, her single golden eye met mine. Her mouth twisted into a bitter frown.

"I'm sorry," she said. "you're just a kid. A brave one too. But you know, I have to kill you."

Undyne leveled her spear in my direction. Her hands trembled as they grasped the shaft. Wow, I really, really didn't want to fight her.

"Why does he want me to die?" I asked.

It wasn't in the script, but I had to know.

"He said killing you will mean the hope that once filled the Underground will return," Undyne said. "I don't know what that means. And how is killing you supposed to bring back 'hope?"

Undyne sighed, and then the corners of her mouth turned down.

"King Asgore knows best," she said. "He'll set us free. And I'm going to help him."

Her voice was weak, lacking the conviction she had once had. The plan was working.

Undyne raised her spear, aiming it towards my heart, towards my soul. She began to pull back her arm.

"Halt!"

Papyrus's cry tore through the air. In whirl of silver, white, and red, he leapt from his hiding spot, a pile of rocks nearby, and landed in front of me. He placed one hand on his hip and stretched the other out, palm facing toward Undyne to stop her.

Undyne lowered her spear, her mouth slack and eyebrows raised. Her confusion passed, and she snarled at Papyrus.

"What are you doing?" she snapped. "Get out of the way."

"Please, Do Not Do This Undyne," Papyrus said.

"Papyrus," Undyne growled.

I kept silent, but I didn't move. Her attention was locked on Papyrus, and it needed to stay that way.

"Please," Papyrus said.

Undyne pointed her spear at Papyrus. Papyrus looked at the spear, his jaw set in defiance.

"You don't think you can defeat me, do you?" she asked.

"I Think I Have To Try," Papyrus said.

My breath caught in my throat. His words filled me with DETERM***TION. I shuddered, I could almost…almost remember something. I shook my head, now was really not the time to get lost in memories.

Undyne snarled and leapt forward, but Papyrus met her attack with a long bone summoned into his hand. They soon began a delicate dance of back and forth between bone and spear, but even as inexperienced at fighting as I was, I could tell Papyrus was being forced to defend.

That was okay though, his goal wasn't to defeat Undyne. He slowly moved in a circle, until her back was to me. Now was the time to sneak around her.

I began to sneak to the side of the path leading into the mountain, staying well away from the deadly fighting only a few feet away. Papyrus had no time to protect me if something happened, I had to be careful on my own.

I reached the mouth of the cave and stepped through. Sans was waiting just inside, and he grabbed my hand.

"Let's go kiddo," he said.

His voice was calm, but I didn't miss the worried look he gave Papyrus. I glanced back and then froze. Papyrus was on the ground, rubbing his head, but he didn't look badly hurt. More important was Undyne, who had turned around and was glaring at me.

"Run, we need to get to Hotland," Flowey shrieked as he sprung up out of the ground beside me.

"Like hell I'll let you go," Undyne snarled.

She threw her spear. It blazed blue under the half-light of the Underground, and it was flying straight for towards me.

* * *

-IT LIVES *cough* I really don't have an excuse, other than just general life business. And oh yeah, Windows 10 deleting literally every program on my computer when I upgraded. (Not an exaggeration. By literally I do mean every single program. It was ridiculous.) But I'm back! And I promise another update soon. -


	27. Spear of Justice

-Is this what we wanted?-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Sans didn't let me stop. Actually, I'm not sure if he was aware of the incoming danger. He kept his gaze forward, never once looking back. I had thought he would be worried about his brother. Even if Undyne thought of Papyrus as a friend, it was still a serious fight. It was obvious how much Sans cared for Papyrus, and how much he depended on him. And yet, Sans never looked back.

It was trust. A bond of trust between the two brothers at a level I could never hope to share with anyone. Siblings huh? Such a warm feeling.

It because of that trust, Sans never saw what was coming our way.

Sans tugged at my hand, dragging me forward even as I looked back at Undyne and Papyrus.

"S-sans," I shouted as the blue light filled my vision.

Sans said nothing, but then my world twisted and the blue spear disappeared. I had fallen, tripped on a vine I could swear hadn't been there before. I looked up as I fell, and I saw the spear whish over my head. It missed me, but that only left it with one other target. Sans had stopped when he felt me fall, and only now was he turning around.

I saw his eyelights disappear as he realized the spear was about to strike him square in the chest. There was barely time for him to respond before the spear hit him. It vanished on impact, the blue light scattering before it could pierce though his bones, but the power in the strike was enough to send Sans flying through the air. His hand led go of mine, and he landed on the ground several feet away, tumbling across the ground before rolling to a stop.

"SANS," a cry, broken and fearful, tore through the air.

I tore my eyes from Sans -he wasn't moving- and looked back at Papyrus who had abandoned his fight with Undyne and was charging this way. His eyes glimmered orange, but I could see tears staining the bone beneath his sockets. Behind him, Undyne held an arm outstretched, his face slack and her eyes wide.

"I-I didn't," she said as she brought her arm down. "He's okay, I stopped it. He isn't…he can't be hurt."

No one replied to her stumbling fears. I didn't know what to say to her, and Papyrus was in no condition to say anything to anyone. He had picked Sans up and was now cradling the smaller skeleton in his arms.

"He's alright, right?" I said in a soft voice. "Monsters are strong, he should be able to withstand something like this, right?"

"Not him," Flowey said.

I started, and then looked down at my feet. Flowey had sprung up right next to me, his face looking toward Sans and Papyrus.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Sans is the strongest monster," Flowey said. "If you tried to fight him, you'd find he's an almost impenetrable wall, and the more LOVE you have, the harder he is to defeat. But he's also the weakest monster." Flowey's mouth split in to a jagged grin. "He's so fragile, so easy to break."

"F-flowey?" I asked.

I had never heard him sound so cruel before. Flowey was a jerk, I knew that, but he wasn't sadistic. The way he spoke about Sans, it was as if Flowey enjoyed watching the skeleton suffer.

Flowey snarled at me, and then dove underground. I stared at the small mound of dirt that marked his passing, but his strange behavior was of less importance than the scene before my eyes.

Papyrus was still clutching Sans in his arms, weeping and wailing like the world was ending. For Papyrus, maybe it was. If Sans died, what would I do? How would I continue on in this world? How would I-

Oh.

No, I wouldn't continue.

I could reset all this, couldn't I? It was so simple. Just provoke Undyne a bit, I was sure I could press her buttons. She was still watching the scene before us with trembling shoulders and ragged breath, it would be easy to antagonize her into attacking me. It would hurt, but, I wouldn't remember any of this next time around, and Sans would know better than to get hit again, right?

I turned to look back at Undyne, preparing to make her hate me, but a gasp from Papyrus stopped me, and I spun back to look at him.

Someone coughed, and when Sans twitched, I realized the noise came from him.

"Ah, god," Sans said between pained coughs. "That hurt. A lot."

"Sa-s-sans?" Papyrus's stuttering cry was filled with more joy than anything I had ever heard before. "Are you alright?"

"Sup, bro," Sans said. "You tryin' to asphoagiate me? Why are you holding me so tight?"

"You're alive," Papyrus cried, clutching his brother closer despite the bad pun.

"Course I'm alive," Sans said, struggling in Papyrus's grip. "I'm not going to leave you behind. And 'sides. Undyne wouldn't ever hurt an innocent monster. Her spear never even hit me, but the magical energy did. No intent to harm, so no harm done."

"Sans, I-" Undyne said.

She hadn't moved. She was still standing just outside the cave, looking in at the scene before her. Her stricken face was awash with relief and shame.

Sans squirmed in his brother's grip, and Papyrus finally set him down, but he kept a single hand on Sans's shoulder.

"Undyne," Sans said. "Do you really want to do this?"

Undyne grimaced. Her gaze fell on me and then she shook her head.

"Don't make me regret letting you go," she said, looking straight at me. "If you do, I'll hunt you down for the rest of your life."

Undyne turned away, and without another word, leapt away, into Waterfall.

* * *

-I really like tormenting Sans. Honestly, at this rate it would be a miracle if he makes it to the end of story.

I had an interesting question from Tai-ke-ai regarding the previous chapter, so I thought I'd make mention of it here rather than just in a PM like I normally. Basically the question was regarding why Sans doesn't just use a shortcut to get Frisk to safety. Prepare for a bit of a long-winded explanation.

One of the greatest things about Undertale is the sheer amount of fan created lore that has been made to fill in the gaps left in the game. Just look at Gaster, we aren't even 100% certain of anything about him, but despite that, he's possibly one of the most popular characters around. Sans's abilities are another of these mysteries that fans have developed, especially his shortcuts. I like the idea that Sans can teleport freely, it's really awesome, but if he could do that, why bother crossing Waterfall in the first place? He could just shortcut to the lab or to the barrier. It's simply to powerful of an ability if he's a main character for this story. So, instead, I'm imitating the experience the player has in the game. Namely, the player never sees the shortcut ability, so I'm going with a head-canon that Sans can only teleport when a certain someone is not watching. Who that certain someone is, well that's up to you all to decipher I guess.

And on a final note, back to the story at hand. If Time and Time Again was to be broken down into parts, this would be the end of Part One. I suppose I would guess there are three parts, so we still have a ways to go. Things start to veer a bit more from the beaten path at this point, but I think it'll be all good. I'm pretty excited about the upcoming sections (hint: Alphys is one of the most entertaining characters to write) Thanks for sticking with me till now.-


	28. Uwa! So HEATS!

-It always starts small-

-Enjoy-

* * *

Hotland was...well...hot. It was so drastically different from Waterfall; I could hardly believe the two areas neighbored each other. It consisted mostly of delicate, stone archways that formed a narrow path above the fiery bottom of the Underground. I kept well away from the edges. I might reset if I fell, but that didn't mean I wanted to try a lava bath.

Undyne didn't pursue us. I'm not sure if she was afraid of hurting Sans again, but she was long gone.

Papyrus was still carrying Sans. He refused to set him down for even a moment, chiding Sans for his carelessness and reminding him over and over that he was too weak to be doing things like this. Sans didn't complain, he just Papyrus baby him, as if he was used to the treatment.

Papyrus wanted Sans to go home. He offered to take me the rest of the way alone, but Sans had only chuckled and reassured Papyrus that normally he could make a trek through the Underground without any real problems. Papyrus then argued these weren't normal circumstances, and continued to pester Sans.

I kept quiet, not even talking to Flowey who was grumbling non-stop about the way Papyrus was carrying on. I didn't tell him I had been planning to reset to save Sans. I didn't plan to tell Sans either.

We reached a SAVE point. I stopped without prompting and SAVEd, Sans and Flowey watched me with concern, but this time there wasn't any pain or fear to go along with the SAVE, just a growing knot of tension in my chest. That was fine, that was better. I could deal with tension; it was just that horrible guilt I couldn't handle.

A little further along, we arrived at a large, white building. It was pristine and clean, but it reminded of a monument of some kind, like something one might find in a graveyard. But monsters didn't have graves.

Flowey as hissed we approached. His small body trembled and muttered something under his breath. I looked down at him just in time to see him burrow underground and disappear.

"Alphys's lab," Sans said. "You can set me down now Paps."

Papyrus sighed, but set Sans down on the ground. Sans knocked on the door and then waited.

There was no answer.

Sans knocked again, and as soon as he finished, Papyrus called out in a loud voice.

"Dr. ALPHYS," he said. "WE ARE HERE TO SEE YOU."

There was still no answer.

Sans sighed, and then shrugged. Was this what he had expected? Why didn't Alphys want to open the door? Did she hate humans too?

"I know a shortcut," Sans said. "I'll head on inside and open the door for us."

"Why do you know a shortcut to Alphys's lab?" Papyrus asked.

Sans gave another shrug and shoved his hands in his pockets. He wandered off, heading in the direction they had come. He didn't appear to be in a hurry, and I watched him until he was blocked by an outcropping of rock rising from the lava below.

"There's a shortcut in that direction?" I asked. "How does that work?"

Papyrus made an exasperated noise. He folded his arms and looked down at me.

"I Have Learned To Not Question My Brother's Strange Shortcuts," he said.

There was a tapping at the door to the lab, and I turned back around to face it. The door squeaked and then slid open. Cool air spilled from the door, bathing me in a refreshing breeze.

"Hurry up," Sans said, his smile wide.

He was standing just inside the doorway. Papyrus and I hurried inside and the door slid shut behind us.

The lab was a large building, but it's spacious interior was almost entirely filled with, well, to be blunt, it looked as if the person living here was an anime geek. Figurines littered the shelves and the walls were covered with posters and banners. Some appeared stained and torn, and the figurines looked as if they had seen better days. I recognized a few of the images on the walls as old shows, human shows. What were they doing here, decorating a monster laboratory?

"Alphys Likes To Visit The Junkyard," Papyrus said. "I Have Been With Her and Captain Undyne. She Has Some New Things."

It looked like a fun place, but it didn't seem like much "science" happened here. There were some strange machines on the second floor, but nothing that looked "royal scientist" quality.

A massive TV sat against one wall. It was on, and dead center in the screen, was my face. The image on the screen followed me. I made some funny faces, the image in the screen reflected it like a mirror. Funny, why was it following me around? I stared at the screen, and a chill ran down my back.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Dr. Alphys Is In Charge Of Monitoring Human Activity," Papyrus replied. "She Has Cameras Everywhere."

She had been watching me this entire time?

"Isn't that a little invasive?" I asked.

Both Sans and Papyrus stared at me, their eyes sockets shared the same blank expression.

"Well, when there aren't any humans, who does she watch?" I explained.

Sans shrugged, as if he didn't want to think about it, but Papyrus looked thoughtful.

"Alphys," Sans called out.

He wasn't really yelling, but his deep voice carried well, echoing throughout the room.

"Where are you?"

Sans planted himself in front of a sliding door. A little plaque next to it, with a monster on it signified it was probably a bathroom or something like that.

"SANS," Papyrus snapped. "Do Not Be Rude."

"No way bro," Sans replied. "I don't got a rude bone in my body."

He reached out and touched the door. It slid open with a whoosh. I crowded up next to Sans, peering around him to see what lay beyond the door. It wasn't the bathroom I expected. A small room, big enough for only four or five people at most was on the other side of the door.

"An elevator?" I asked.

Papyrus scowled at Sans.

"What?" the shorter skeleton asked. "I can't belift you didn't trust me. As you older brother, your doubting tendoncies make me sad."

Papyrus scowled even harder at Sans.

"Where's it lead?" I asked.

"Down," Sans replied. "To the True Lab."

* * *

-And so, we come to Hotland. Possibly not the most thrilling chapter, but hey, not every chapter has the advantage of featuring Undyne throwing around spears. That's hard to compete with. Still, I think we've had enough of the fish, time to bring on the yellow dinosaur.-


	29. Ooo

-It's almost an impossible thing to remember.-

-Enjoy-

* * *

The elevator ride was long and quiet. Sans stared morosely at the button, there was only one, the entire way down, and Papyrus was too busy watching his brother with a pensive expression to chat.

Flowey was of course, nowhere to be found. I couldn't even imagine how he could appear in an elevator, but he probably could if he wanted to. Thinking about it made my brain hurt, so I stopped. Let him sulk if he wanted to.

That left me time to think as we descended. This was where I was supposed to find answers right? I would get my DETE*****TION back, and I could put things to right. Sans seemed convinced Alphys could help, and he hadn't steered my wrong yet.

I wanted my memories back. Well, not all of them, but I was willing to take the painful ones if that meant getting back the happy ones. I was ready to no longer be the dead weight I knew it was. I didn't want Sans to look at me like that anymore, like he just didn't know what to say to me sometimes. Like I had broken his heart.

The elevator gave a soft ding as it reached the floor. The sound echoed through the silence, and Papyrus's shoulders stiffened for a moment. We all looked at the door as it slowly opened. Beyond was darkness.

Sans led the way, strolling into the dark without a sign of fear. Papyrus lay a hand on my shoulder, gave me a small smile, and then pushed me to follow Sans. As we stepped out of the elevator, a few lights overhead flickered on. There was a long hallway before us, the tiles on the floor were dirty and chipped, and long cracks ran through the walls. Was this place no longer used?

Screen along the wall lit up as we passed. I only caught a few words on the screens, but they looked like some kind of research entries. Sans didn't even glance in their direction, and though I was curious, I was more worried about losing sight of him in this dark place.

The hallway ended in a small lobby. A door sat opposite the hallway, four glowing lights adorned the door, and beside it was a vending machine. As Sans looked around the lobby, trying to decide which way to go, I tapped on the glass of the vending machine.

"Popato Chisps?" I muttered as I peered through the grime covered glass.

"Oh, Tasty," Papyrus said. "Would You Like Some?"

I shook my head. I'd pass on the grimy food of questionable origins.

"Alphys should be somewhere around here," Sans said. "Ah," he paused as if remembering something. "There isn't a single thing to be afraid of here."

Sans looked at me, his eye sockets dark. After a moment, he turned back away.

There were two doorways leading from the lobby area they were in, and Sans headed left. Papyrus and I followed.

"Sans," Papyrus said as we followed. "How Did You Know This Place Was Here?"

Sans's shoulders jerked but the movement was small, barely noticeable, but there was no way Papyrus had missed it.

"I've been here before," Sans said. "It was a long time ago though, before Alphys became the royal scientist."

"Why?" Papyrus asked.

"I used to lend the scientists here a hand," Sans said. He waved his hand over his head for us to see. "I'm no bone-afied scientist or anything like that, but I was an assistant of sorts."

"I Don't Remember That," Papyrus said.

Sans stopped. His shoulders hunched, and I could see his head droop slightly.

"No," he said. "You wouldn't."

His voice was a lonely echo of his normal humorous self. I reached my hand out to touch his shoulder, but a loud clattering sound rang through the air. I let out a small squeak and jumped as I looked around for the source of the noise.

At the end of the hallway was a monster. Small and yellow, she looked like a cross between a lizard and a dinosaur. She wore a pair of thick glasses and a white lab coat that had been stained with various things, some looked suspiciously like grease stains. Her hands were empty, but looking at the metal tray on the ground at her feet, it would seem they were occupied until just recently.

"S-s-sans...?" the little monster asked.

She was trembling all over and barely able to speak as she stared at us.

"Hello Dr. Alphys," Papyrus said, waving at her.

"P-p-p-p-p-p," she tried to speak.

"Com'on doc," Sans said, his voice soothing. "Nothing to be scared of." He gestured to me. "Have you met Frisk yet?"

I waved, but the way Alphys looked at me, as if I was the monster, about to pounce and devour her, sent a surge of guilt down my spine. Should we really have snuck down here without her knowing? She looked really upset.

"You-" Alphys looked back at Sans. "You haven't s-seen any-anything yet? H-have you?"

"Seen Anything?" Papyrus asked. "Just You So Far. We Came To Ask You For Help."

O-oh," Alphys said. "I-I see. Then, l-let's go up-upstairs. Um...no...no need to stay h-here."

Despite the reassurance, her stuttering wasn't any better. Was she just normally this nervous?

Alphys led us back the lobby area, glancing up and down the hallways every few moments as if searching for something or someone.

"Is there anyone else here?" I asked.

Alphys looked like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, and Sans chuckled.

"No- I...There's no one else here," Alphys said in a shrill voice.

There was something strange here. Something Alphys didn't want anyone to know about, but I was too worried she might collapse if I asked anything more. Alphys was already quivering like she was terrified.

We turned into the lobby, and Alphys paused and let out a short cry.

That was...something white? in the middle of the lobby. White, and very large. The thing turned toward us. It had countless legs, was letting out a high-pitched keening sound, like a wail. Where it's face should have been was nothing but a hole.

"Ah, no," Alphys yelled. She held up her hands and waved them back and forth as if to fend off the creature, but she was much tinier than it was her actions didn't even faze it.

The creature, sprang towards us, soaring over the heads of both Alphys and Sans, who were in front, and landing right on top of me. My world turned pure white, and the only thing I could hear was the sound of Papyrus yelling for me.

* * *

-Oh...uh...spoilers if you've never played/seen true pacifist. I figure that goes without saying though. And say hello to Alphys. Forgive me if the description of the lab isn't spot on, artistic liberties and all that. (It's not cause my memory is bad, nope, not at all)-


End file.
